States and international organizations participating in the Fifth Summit of the International Crimea Platform adopted the “New York Declaration” on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025, at United Nations Headquarters, reaffirming support for the UN Charter and Ukraine’s internationally recognized borders, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine said.
The text restates core Charter obligations, including the duty to refrain from the threat or use of force against any state’s territorial integrity and to settle disputes peacefully. It also emphasizes that territorial changes achieved by force will not be recognized as lawful.
Participants condemned Russia’s aggression against Ukraine that began with the attempted annexation of Crimea and denounced the continuing occupation of Ukrainian territory, including Crimea and parts of the Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk and Luhansk regions. They reaffirmed a policy of non-recognition of any attempted annexation.
The declaration backs prior General Assembly resolutions related to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, the human-rights situation in occupied areas, and the militarization of Crimea as well as parts of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. It notes concern that these measures have not been implemented.
Signatories registered abuses committed by occupation authorities like enforced disappearances, deportations and transfers by force—including children—and arbitrary detention, torture, and discrimination against the Crimean Tatar Indigenous people and the Ukrainians and others. Signatories called for the immediate cessation of attacks on civilians and civilian objects.
The letter urges Russia to withdraw all of its armed forces from Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders and supports actions to achieve an overall, just and lasting peace in accordance with the UN Charter. The document says diplomatic arrangements such as the Crimea Platform remain available for fruitful participation.
Positioning the issue outside of Ukraine, the statement contends that bringing Russia’s aggression to an end will be necessary to defend international law, enhance international security, and preserve the United Nations’ power and founding principles. The summit was convened on the sidelines of High-Level Week in the UN’s 80th-anniversary year, reports the ministry.
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