Interesting. Apparently Trump is still thinking about Russia taking Crimea. And yeah, what Ft. Fun said is true.
Will Trump Recognize Russian Annexation of Crimea?
Among the dozens of questions facing the administration of President-elect Donald Trump — including, at its foremost, why Trump continues denigrating the American intelligence community in defense of
Moscow’s electoral meddling — there’s one centering on post-Soviet sovereignty. That is: Will Trump go through with his hints at potentially recognizing Russia’s claimed annexation of Crimea? Or will he maintain Washington’s policy of non-recognition?
At this point, it’s unclear what, or when, Trump will decide. When asked about potential recognition of Crimea in July 2016, Trump noted that he’d be willing to recognize the first annexation on the European landmass since World War II. “I’m going to take a look at it,” Trump
said. Trump further claimed that “the people of Crimea, from what I’ve heard, would rather be with Russia than where they were.”
Indeed, there’s little doubt that at least some residents of Crimea would have preferred Russian rule, especially in the immediate aftermath of Ukraine’s 2014 EuroMaidan Revolution. Trump appears unaware, however, that neither the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe nor any Western countries recognized Crimea’s “referendum” as either free or fair.
Enjoying this article? Click here to subscribe for full access. Just $5 a month.
In fact, if Trump goes through with recognizing Russia’s claims in Crimea, he will be joining a select group of isolated regimes and post-Soviet autocracies. All told, a total of 13 other nations have joined Russia in either backing the Crimean “referendum” or in actively opposing measures supporting Ukraine’s territorial identity. In 2014, some 10 nations
joined Moscow in opposing a non-binding resolution in United Nations that backed Ukraine’s territorial integrity: Armenia, Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, North Korea, Nicaragua, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe. (Numerous nations either abstained or were absent from the vote, including Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and China.)
During the immediate aftermath of Russia’s invasion of southern Ukraine, a trio of other states issued statements supporting Moscow’s claims. Kazakhstan’s foreign ministry
issued a statement — which it later removed, with little fanfare — supporting the Crimean referendum. (Kazakhstani President Nursultan Nazarbayev is the only other leader to join Moscow in referring to Ukraine’s 2014 revolution as a “
coup.”) Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai
also supported Russia’s claims, while Kyrgyzstan joined Kazakhstan in
backing the apparent validity of the Crimean vote.