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European leaders not coming to Crimean Platform out of fear of Russia — Zelensky

The establishment of the Crimean Platform was announced in September 2020 by Ukrainian President

KIEV, August 23. /TASS/. Leaders of many Western countries are not attending the Crimean Platform forum because they are afraid of Russia, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said on Sunday.

"Many leaders are very afraid. I don’t want to say who is afraid. You will see, you know all the leaders who support Ukraine. We have invited them all to the Crimean Platform. They are afraid, afraid of Russia. It is true, Europe in afraid of Russia. This fact should be recognized and it is normal," he said in an interview with the Ukraina television channel.

The establishment of the Crimean Platform was announced in September 2020 by Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky. Kiev sees its goal in coordinating international efforts to bring Crimea back into Ukraine’s jurisdiction. The platform is expected to be launched on August 23, when the so-called inauguration summit will be held. According to organizers, 44 countries and international organizations will take part in it. Most of European nations will delegate foreign or defense ministers while Baltic countries, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Moldova, Slovenia, and Finland will be represented by the presidents. European Union and NATO officials are also expected to take part. The United States and Germany will be represented by energy ministers.

Commenting on the upcoming meeting initiated by Kiev, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that the West would "continue to groom the neo-Nazi and racist sentiment of the current Ukrainian government.".

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Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky

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