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The United States will maintain sanctions against Russia until Ukraine's territorial integrity is restored, stated Victoria Nuland, Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs at the United States Department of State, said at the 12th Yalta European Strategy (YES) Annual Meeting in Kyiv on Saturday.

Among the key factors of a quick return of Crimea to Ukraine are strengthening of sanctions against Russia, the provision of weapons to Ukraine by the West and reforms in Ukraine. Regat Chubarov, member of the Ukrainian parliament and chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People, expressed these points today at the 12th Yalta European Strategy (YES) Annual Meeting.

The former president of the European Union, José Manuel Barroso, told an audience of more than 350 attendees of the 12th Yalta European Strategy (YES) Annual Meeting that the West will never recognize the annexation of Crimea by Russia.

The former president of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma (1994-2005) called upon the global community for swift action to prevent the crisis in eastern Ukraine from turning into a permanent conflict, today at the 12^th Yalta European Strategy (YES) Annual Meeting in Kyiv.

Sir Elton John today delivered a keynote speech at the 12th YES Annual Meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine about the role of business in promoting human rights. He told a packed audience of business leaders and politicians: “I want to talk about the important role the business community can play in creating a new paradigm of inclusion -- one that benefits individuals personally and society at large, and one that is also uniquely good for business”.

Most Ukrainians and international delegates of the 12th Yalta European Strategy (YES) Annual Meeting agree that Ukraine should resolve the situation around Crimea, which was annexed by Russia, and the conflict-torn east of the country through negotiations, according to the results of an interactive survey conducted during the forum.

Reforms in Ukraine must include government leadership’s continuous engagement and communication with the public; otherwise they will not hold out against populism, a member of the National Council of the Slovak Republic, Ivan Mikloš, said at the 12th Yalta European Strategy (YES) Annual Meeting, today in Kyiv.

The second day of the 12^th Yalta European Strategy (YES) Annual Meeting began with a discussion about Ukraine’s progress on reforms and outlook, featuring Arseniy Yatsenyuk, prime minister of Ukraine, and moderated by Stephen Sackur, presenter of HARDtalk, BBC World News.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has driven himself into a political trap and, when it comes to Donbas, the only choice he has is to sacrifice himself for Russia and the world, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said today at the 12th Yalta European Strategy (YES) Annual Meeting.