Never Gonna Give You Up: Crimea's Status

Not Up For Debate, Says Kremlin

Sputnik/ Sergey Malgavko
POLITICS
12:15 15.02.2017(updated 12:36 15.02.2017) Get short URL
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Russia is unwilling to consider returning Crimea to Kiev and

won't debate the matter with anyone, including the US, Kremlin
spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday.

"This topic will not be discussed, because it cannot be discussed.

Russia does not discuss issues related to its territory with foreign
partners," Peskov told reporters.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, in his telephone conversation with US

leader Donald Trump on January 28, did not address the issue of Crimea,
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov added.

"No, [the issue] was not raised," Peskov told reporters.

 SPUTNIK/ SERGEY MALGAVKO
'Russia Does Not Return Its Territories' - Moscow on White House
Statement on Crimea

On Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said Trump

expected Russia to de-escalate the situation in eastern Ukraine and
return Crimea to Ukraine.

On February 14, the White House spokesman said that US President

Donald Trump expects Russia to "return Crimea" to Ukraine.

"President Trump has made it very clear that he expects the Russian
government to deescalate violence in the Ukraine and return Crimea,"
White House spokesman Sean Spicer said at a daily news briefing. "At
the same time, he fully expects to and wants to get along with Russia."

Crimea rejoined Russia after a 2014 referendum, when almost 97

percent of the region's population voted for the
reunification. Sevastopol, which has a federal city status, supported the
move by 95.6 percent of votes.
 SPUTNIK/ VASILIY BATANOV
US Remarks on Crimea 'Cool Inflated Expectations' With Trump -
Senior Russian Lawmaker

During the election campaign Trump claimed he would "consider"

recognizing Crimea as part of Russia following the referendum in the
peninsula, adding that the Crimeans wanted to live in Russia.

Commenting on the White House statement, Russian Foreign Ministry

spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Russia does not intend
to return Crimea to Kiev.

"We do not return our territories. Crimea is Russian territory,"

Zakharova said at a weekly briefing, reaffirming Moscow's
longstanding position that the issue is permanently closed.