23 September 2026

President of the Republic of Estonia Alar Karis called for preventing the normalization of Russia’s occupation of Crimea

“We meet today to reaffirm a simple and fundamental truth. Crimea is Ukraine. This is not merely a statement about borders on a map, although borders themselves are a matter of principle. It is a statement about international law, about the right of nations to exist and determine their future freely, and about whether aggression, illegal occupation, and annexation can ever be legitimized simply because an occupier has held territory for long enough.”

President of Estonia Alar Karis stressed that for Estonia and the other Baltic states, occupation is not an abstract principle. For 50 years, the Baltic states lived under Soviet occupation and Soviet rule imposed against their will. Their sovereignty was denied, people were deported, institutions were dismantled, and national identities were subjected to systematic pressure.

This historical experience demonstrates that the passage of time cannot make aggression and occupation legal, and borders cannot be changed by force. Therefore, the international community must reject any normalization of Russia’s temporary occupation of Crimea and its attempted illegal annexation.

Alar Karis also expressed support for the residents of temporarily occupied Crimea, including the Crimean Tatars, an Indigenous People of Ukraine, who continue to endure Russian repression.

Alar Karis also stressed that a just and lasting peace cannot involve rewarding aggression.

“The question therefore for us is wider than Crimea or even Ukraine. It is whether in Europe or around the world force can determine borders and whether an aggressor can simply wait for the world to grow tired. Our answer must be a resounding no,” — Alar Karis.

“Let us stand with Ukraine until its territorial integrity is restored and its people are free to determine their own future. And let us work for the day when the Ukrainian flag flies freely over Crimea once again. Crimea is Ukraine. Ukraine will be free,” — he said.