Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski has proposed transferring Crimea, currently occupied by Russia, under a UN mandate to prepare for a “fair referendum” as a potential solution to the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia. Sikorski shared his personal views during a nightcap discussion at the 20th annual YES meeting in Kyiv, organized by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation.

Sikorski seems to believe that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s personal obsession with the occupied Ukrainian region is sufficient justification for a secession plebiscite in the peninsula, even 20 years later. According to Interfax-Ukraine, he stated,

“Crimea is symbolically important for Russia, and especially for Putin, but strategically important for Ukraine. Therefore, I don’t see how they can agree without the demilitarization of Crimea,” he said, suggesting that if both countries are willing, a solution could be found. He proposed,“We could transfer it under a UN mandate with a mission to prepare a fair referendum after verifying who are legitimate residents, and so on… And we could postpone this for 20 years.”

Sikorski also expressed his opinion that it was a significant mistake for the West, particularly the Americans, to advise Ukrainians not to fight in Crimea. He explained,

“If the Ukrainians had fought in Crimea [in 2014], even symbolically, he [Putin] might not have dared to move on Donbas.”

The 20th Annual Meeting of the Yalta European Strategy (YES) “The Need to Win” took place on 13-14 September 2024 in Kyiv. Over 700 leading politicians, diplomats, businessmen, Ukrainian Armed Forces servicemen, veterans, civil activists, and experts from more than 30 countries participated in the conference, organized by YES in partnership with the Victor Pinchuk Foundation.

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