Go to the Crimean media bank. File photoBERLIN, Sep 5The goal of forcing Russia to give up Crimea is unrealistic, said German Bundestag member of the Left Party faction Sarah Wagenknecht.
"The question is what goals are realistic. Russia is a nuclear power, we must not forget about it" – she said in an interview with the German edition of t-online.
Wagneknecht noted that if the expulsion of Russians from Crimea is sought, then the conflict in Ukraine “will continue forever.” “The Russians have kept their Black Sea Fleet in Crimea for decades, they won't give it up. Is it necessary to sacrifice tens of thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of lives for a completely unrealistic goal?” the parliamentarian asked. At the same time, Wagenknecht expressed confidence that Germany itself should decide in what matters it should support the Ukrainian leadership.The Bundestag called on the EU to contribute to the end of the conflict in Ukraine “Europe is not interested in further escalation of the war, and we must make this clear to (Vladimir – ed.) Zelensky,” the deputy noted, pointing to the need for negotiations between Moscow and Kiev. She added, that according to some estimates, the Russian side is ready for them. At the same time, she clarified that she herself had no contact with the Russian leader. Earlier, the press secretary of the Russian leader, Dmitry Peskov, said that the subject of Moscow’s conversation with Kyiv could be how exactly Russia’s conditions would be met, which, he stressed, had not changed. Crimea became a Russian region in March 2014 following a referendum following a coup in Ukraine. In the referendum, 96.77% of voters in Crimea and 95.6% in Sevastopol voted for joining Russia. Ukraine still considers Crimea its own, but temporarily occupied territory, many Western countries support Kyiv in this. The Russian leadership has repeatedly stated that the inhabitants of Crimea democratically, in full accordance with international law and the UN Charter, voted for reunification with Russia. According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the issue of Crimea is “finally closed”.