- cross-posted to:
- ukraine@sopuli.xyz
- cross-posted to:
- ukraine@sopuli.xyz
The European Union will never recognize the Russian-occupied Crimean peninsula as legally Russian, the bloc’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas told Agence France-Presse (AFP) on April 22.
Kallas’ comments come in response to reports that the recognition of Crimea as Russian territory is being considered as part of a U.S.-backed proposal to end the war in Ukraine.
“Crimea is Ukraine,” Kallas told the AFP.
I love how this is getting downvoted, particularly given that “Crimeans don’t want to be a part of Russia!” and “They’d rather die than be occupied!” were big talking points to justify Ukraine’s bombing of the territory.
He’s being downvoted because it’s russian bullshit to distract form the fact that crimea was fucking invaded and taken through violence. After that nobody should care about democratic assent. First get the russians out then ask the people who got invaded a while back wherever they are now.
Who has forgotten about the 2014 invasion? But we’ve had similar referendums in Iraq and Afghanistan under US occupation. We’ve accepted votes in Northern Ireland and Indian Kashmir and under coup governments in Chile, Spain, S. Korea, Panama, and Hawaii at face value. Clearly, violent occupation does not disqualify subsequent democratic referendums.
If violence committed by a state institution disqualifies a democracy from functioning, show me which country qualifies as a democratic institution? Territorial control is predicated on violence. Ukrainian territory was only originally under Russian dominion because it was wrested from the Nazis, who wrested it from the Soviets who wrested it from the Russian Imperialists who wrested it from the Ottomans, etc, etc.
At some point, the violence has to end and democracy has to begin. If human life continues to be less important than property rights, the killing never ends.