European Parliament Deputy Rebecca Harms considers it necessary to grant autonomy to the Crimean Tatars already now, without waiting for the de-occupation of Crimea.

She said during the International Forum "Occupied Crimea: Five Years of Resistance" in Kyiv on Tuesday that it is necessary to do much more for the Crimean Tatars and that she supports the need to grant autonomy to the Crimean Tatars now, despite the fact that their homeland is occupied.

Harms noted that the implementation of such a situation could be a "powerful weapon" in the fight against Russian President Vladimir Putin for the fate of the Crimean Tatar people.

In addition, the MEP stressed that Russia's policy is directed not only against Ukraine, but also against all Europe.

She added that the militarization of Crimea and the Black Sea region showed that Putin's strategy is directed not only against Ukraine, but also against the EU, NATO and the West as a whole, and after the escalation in the Sea of Azov, she would recommend the NATO to strengthen its presence in the region.