Ukraine's policy towards Crimea unlikely to change after parliamentary elections

Head of the Crimean Peninsula Sergei Aksyonov. Photo: Getty

This was Mr. Aksyonov's comment on the preliminary results of the early Ukrainian parliamentary election, with the Servant of the People party of incumbent Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy winning the majority of votes.

In an interview with Rossiya-24 TV channel, Mr. Aksyonov stated: "Comedians may win a majority in Parliament, but judging by the current statements about the Crimean Peninsula and the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk Republics, I think the current situation is unlikely to improve."

According to Mr. Aksyonov, there will be no significant change in Ukraine's policy on the embargo on Crimea if the Servant of the People party wins a majority in the parliament. In addition, Mr. Aksyonov emphasized that it would be a positive trend if the Opposition Platform-For Life party of Viktor Medvedchuk, which leans towards cooperation with Russia, would be represented in the Ukrainian parliament.

Mr. Aksyonov also expressed optimism about the fact that nationalist parties do not have the support of the Ukrainian people.

According to the latest official results announced by the Central Election Commission of Ukraine, after counting 25.82% of the votes, President Zelenskiy's Servant of the People party is leading the early parliamentary election with 42.03% support, followed by the Opposition Platform-For Life party with 12.64% support, followed by the European Solidarity party of former President Petro Poroshenko with 8.64% support.