Putin says Russia will indulge in no discussion on ceding Crimea back to Ukraine
ATHENS, May 27. /TASS/. Russia will indulge in no discussion with anyone on ceding Crimea back to Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday.
“As for Crimea, we think this issue closed once and for all. It was a historic decision of people living in Crimea,” he said at a news conference after his talks with the Greek leaders.
“Russia will indulge in no discussions with anyone on that matter,” Putin stressed. “So, let us stop raising this matter over and over again.”
The Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol, a city with a special status on the Crimean Peninsula, where most residents are Russians, refused to recognize the legitimacy of authorities brought to power amid riots during a coup in Ukraine in February 2014.
Crimea and Sevastopol adopted declarations of independence on March 11, 2014. They held a referendum on March 16, 2014, in which 96.77% of Crimeans and 95.6% of Sevastopol voters chose to secede from Ukraine and join the Russian Federation. Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the reunification deals March 18, 2014.
For incorporation of Crimea after the coup, Russia came under sanctions on the part of the United States and many European countries.