During this policy dialogue, various speakers painted a bleak picture of oppression and persecution in the Ukrainian Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, a year after it was illegally annexed by the Russian Federation. Participants also discussed the circumstances of the referendum that led to the annexation, EU-Russia relations and what could be done to improve the situation in Crimea. One avenue suggested was that the EU could demand that, given its membership of the Council of Europe, Russia should observe its commitments to protect national minorities and religious communities. A Russian analyst argued for more dialogue and less mutual accusation between Russia and the West.