Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy vowed on Tuesday (local time) to restore Ukrainian rule over Russia-annexed Crimea, a move that he said would help re-establish "world law and order".
He told an international conference on Crimea that regaining control of the peninsula - seized and annexed by Russia in 2014 in a move not recognised by most other countries - would be the "biggest anti-war step".
"It all began with Crimea, and it will end with Crimea," Zelenskiy said in an opening address to the Crimea Platform, a forum that seeks to restore Ukraine's territorial integrity and end Russia's annexation of Crimea.
Calling for victory over Russia, he said: "It is necessary to liberate Crimea from occupation ... This will be the resuscitation of world law and order."
Zelenskiy said representatives of about 60 states and international organisations participated in the summit, including about 40 presidents and prime ministers.
Almost all took part online but Polish President Andrzej Duda attended in person. He urged global leaders not to turn a blind eye to what he depicted as Russian aggression, and said there could be no return to business as usual with Moscow.
"Crimea was, remains and will be a part of Ukraine just like Gdansk is a part of Poland, Nice is a part of France, Cologne is a part of Germany, and Rotterdam is a part of Netherlands," Duda said.
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Russia shows no sign of abandoning Crimea, home to its Black Sea fleet, and has used the peninsula as a platform to launch missile strikes on Ukrainian targets.
It has denied accusations of human rights abuses in Crimea, and says a referendum held after Russian forces seized the peninsula showed Crimeans genuinely want to be part of Russia. The referendum is not recognised by most countries.
Zelenskiy said Russia had turned Crimea into "an ecological disaster zone and a military springboard for aggression".
In a video linkup, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the Russian "land grab (of Crimea) in 2014 was the direct precursor of today's war" and accused Russia of turning it into "an armed camp, from which to threaten the rest of Ukraine".
French President Emmanuel Macron urged non-European countries to support Ukraine against Russia, adding: "It's about our universal values."
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmygal said separately that foreign assistance since the invasion had reached $14 billion, and that Ukraine hoped to receive a further $12-$16 billion from foreign partners by the end of this year.
Reuters
