In case anyone was wondering – due to the mixed messages being sent out by the Trump administration – what the U.S. stand really is on Russia’s occupation of Crimea, the answer came on July 25 in the form of a statement titled “Crimea Declaration.” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo thus announced a formal policy reaffirming U.S. rejection of “Russia’s attempted annexation of Crimea.” At the same time, he underscored that the U.S. would “maintain this policy until Ukraine’s territorial integrity is restored.” He also called on Russia “to respect the principles to which it has long claimed to adhere and to end its occupation of Crimea.”
The Crimea Declaration was issued about an hour before Secretary Pompeo appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where he insisted that the administration is taking a tough stance against Russia and emphasized that the U.S. “does not and will not recognize the Kremlin’s purported annexation of Crimea” and that “there will be no relief from Crimea-related sanctions until Russia returns control of the Crimean peninsula to Ukraine.”
Ukraine’s ambassador to the U.S., Valeriy Chaly, posted on Facebook that, while Mr. Pompeo was testifying in Congress, Mr. Chaly, Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Serhiy Kyslytsia and Crimean Tatar leader Mustafa Dzhemilev were at the State Department, where they received a copy of the Crimea Declaration from Dr. A. Wess Mitchell, assistant secretary of state, Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs. Mr. Chaly characterized the declaration as “A historic, timely and powerful decision of our strategic partner – the United States.”
Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement welcoming the Crimea Declaration, which it said “confirms the consistency of U.S. policy concerning the respect of sovereignty and territorial integrity.” The MFA also said: “We applaud the U.S. resolve in urging the Russian Federation to respect international law and restore the territorial integrity of Ukraine.”
The United Kingdom said it “echoes the United States’ firm statement of opposition to Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea. The U.K. position is clear: We condemn Russia’s continued breach of international law; Crimea is Ukrainian territory.” And the European Union said it remains “firmly committed to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and to fully implementing our non-recognition policy, including through restrictive measures.”
The Ukrainian Congress Committee of America and the Ukrainian World Congress both issued statements on the Crimea Declaration. The UCCA called the document “a strong message of support to those living under direct threat from Russia’s unrelenting aggressive behavior,” while the UWC commended the U.S. and its secretary of state for “taking this principled position.”
So, just what is the significance of this Crimea Declaration, which Secretary of State Pompeo said is analogous to the historic Welles Declaration of 1940? The Welles Declaration (named for U.S. acting Secretary of State Sumner Welles) condemned the Soviet occupation of the Baltic states and proclaimed the official policy of non-recognition of the forcible incorporation of the Baltics into the USSR. It applied the Stimson Doctrine of 1932, which had declared the policy of non-recognition of states created as a result of aggression.
As expected, the Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry responded to the Crimea Declaration with a sneering comment: “We know the value of such momentous declarations.” And yet, the policy announced in the Welles Declaration outlived the USSR. For 51 years, under successive administrations and Congresses, the U.S. recognized the independent diplomatic missions of the Baltic states and protected Baltic financial assets; it supported the aspirations of the Baltic nations for independence from the Soviet Union.
In fact, critics of U.S. policy on Russian-occupied Crimea had specifically called for a Welles-type declaration. The UCCA says it started its advocacy for such a policy immediately after Russia began its invasion of Ukraine in February 2014.
The Crimea Declaration of July 25, 2018, is both historic and consequential. We applaud the Trump administration for eliminating any ambiguity about the U.S. position and stating clearly that “no country can change the borders of another by force.”