Belgium's Prime Minister Alexander de Croo confirms the country's support for Ukraine after President Volodomy Zelenskyy vowed to bring "freedom to Ukraine and citizens in Crimea" in a speech on Tuesday.
"For Belgium, it’s crystal clear: the annexation of Crimea by Russia was illegal in 2014 and still is illegal 8 years later," De Croo wrote in a tweet, adding that "Crimea is an unalienable part of Ukraine. Everyone who violates international law and human rights will be held accountable for their actions."
In a speech to an open international conference on Crimea, Zelenskyy said that Kyiv would reinstate Ukrainian rule in Russian-occupied Crimea.
"To overcome terror, it is necessary to gain victory in the fight against Russian aggression," said the Ukrainian President. "It is necessary to liberate Crimea. This will be the resuscitation of world law and order."
"Therefore, we need to free Crimea from occupation as well. It started in Crimea and it will end in Crimea."
Division in Europe
De Croo's comments come at a time when Europeans are increasingly split in how they view Russia's invasion of Ukraine, with the cost of living and energy crises posing concrete challenges to the EU ideals of support for invaded sovereign nations – an principle that becomes uncomfortable when the aggressor happens to be the bloc's biggest supplier of oil and natural gas.
In June, the European Council on Foreign Relations reported that two camps are emerging amongst Europeans. The 'justice camp' wants Ukraine to take back its territory and expel Russia, while the 'peace' camp wants peace between Ukraine and Russia as soon as possible.
Crimea was annexed by Russia in 2014 and has been a comfortable Russian stronghold until recent attacks on the peninsula.
