Mustafa Jamilev: unacceptability of the conditions put forward by Russia is obvious

Baku/06.04.22/Turan: The leader of the Crimean Tatars, Mustafa Jamilev, answered questions regarding the Russian-Ukrainian war and the situation in Crimea in the “Difficult Question” program.

According to him, Russia entered the territory of Ukraine with a 130,000-strong army, expected to capture it within three days and eliminate Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

“However, this did not work out, the Russian troops, who tried to encircle Kiev, were forced to retreat. However, the capital of Ukraine is still subjected to missile strikes,” he said.

Referring to the ongoing negotiation process between Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul, Jamilev noted that there are no prerequisites for achieving a truce yet, and therefore hostilities continue. He also noted that the unacceptability of the conditions put forward by Russia is obvious.

“As one of the justifications for the invasion, Vladimir Putin used an untrue image of Ukraine as a neo-Nazi state. The accusations that the Ukrainian authorities are pursuing a policy of genocide in the Donbass are also not substantiated. The Russian leadership falsely appropriates and exploits the term genocide to justify invading a sovereign state. In addition, the Russian side calls the “denazification” of Ukraine one of the goals of the invasion, explaining this by the fact that allegedly “neo-Nazis seized power in Ukraine.” The cynical misuse of the term "genocide", the memory of World War II, is an attempt to justify Russia's aggression against Ukraine. There is no broad support for ultra-right ideology in Ukraine, neither in the government nor in the army,” said the leader of the Crimean Tatars.

According to him, the thesis of NATO expansion is also misleading. In 2008, Ukraine was presented with the prospect of joining NATO, but since then the process has been frozen.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's reference to Article 51 of the UN Charter to justify military action against Ukraine is comparable to a rapist accusing the victim of aggression.

Mustafa Jamilev also said that a possible agreement between Ukraine and Russia must necessarily indicate that Crimea is an occupied territory.

“The concept of de-occupation of the temporary occupied territories of Ukraine does not provide for the use of force. When Russia recognizes that all these are occupied territories and negotiations are underway on the status of Crimea, then Russia recognizes this as an occupied territory. According to the 1949 Geneva Convention on the Status of the Occupied Territories, Ukrainian legislation must apply in the territories of the occupied Crimea. It is very important for us. It must be indicated that these are occupied territories,” Jamilev said.