Zelensky Iftar Party: Zelensky gave the first Iftar party, attended by Muslim leaders and ambassadors, vowed to re-occupy Crimea!

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday criticized Russia’s treatment of the Muslim minority Tatar community in Kremlin-held Crimea. During the first official iftar, he vowed to wrest back the Crimean peninsula from Russia. Russia wrested control of the Black Sea region from Ukraine in 2014 and held a referendum on the accession. Ukraine and its Western allies condemned it as illegal and a fraud.

Zelensky told Ukrainian Muslim leaders and ambassadors of Muslim countries, “Russia’s attempt to enslave Ukraine began with the annexation of Crimea … with the repression of Crimeans, Ukrainians, Crimean Tatars and Crimean Muslims.” About 12 to 15 percent of Crimea’s population of two million are from the Tatar community. In 2014, the community boycotted the polls on a large scale. Moscow then banned the Majlis, the traditional assembly of the Tatar Muslim minority in Crimea.

‘We will return to Crimea‘

Russia has declared the Tatars an extremist organization and jailed several members of the community, citing security concerns. “Ukraine or the world has no choice but to re-occupy Crimea,” Zelensky said before awarding the award to several Muslim soldiers. We will return to Crimea.’ Zelensky announced at a mosque in Kiev that Ukraine was starting a new tradition of hosting an official iftar.

Muslim countries became mediators in the war

“Ukraine is grateful to the Muslims of our country and to all those in the Muslim community around the world who, like us, seek peace and protection from evil,” he said. Several Muslim countries, including Turkey and Saudi Arabia, have offered themselves as mediators in the Ukraine war. The southern regions of Russia have a sizeable Muslim minority. These include Chechnya and Dagestan, many of which are fighting for Moscow in Ukraine.