Bringing Russian-annexed Crimea back into Ukraine's fold is impossible without the help of international partners, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said during an interview with RFE/RL's Krym.Realii (Crimea Realities) television while visiting an arms show in Kyiv.
When asked if there's a "formula" for freeing Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula, the president said one doesn't exist.
"Right now there is no formula. This is a complicated story. As you know, Ukraine can't do this [free Crimea] on its own," Zelenskiy said on October 9.
"Our international partners [need to set] conditions and we need to have a stronger army. [Sure], we have respect for our military...but honestly, we need to [project] great power so that not only our diplomacy is effective but also so that our army performs at a high level."
Russia sent troops into Crimea in 2014, eventually taking it over even as it started fomenting a separatist uprising in eastern Ukraine.
As a result, the United States, European Union, Canada, Japan, Ukraine, and other countries imposed sanctions on Russia.
More than 13,000 people have been killed in the eastern Ukrainian conflict since hostilities began in April 2014.
