Kyiv: Ukraine is ready for negotiations on restoring its sovereignty over Crimea
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Kateryna Zelenko said that Ukraine is ready for negotiations in any format on the restoration of Ukrainian sovereignty over the Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, annexed by Russia, reports Interfax-Ukraine news agency.
Ukrainian Spokesperson stressed that Russia had committed an international crime against Ukraine.
"Once again, we remind Russia that, under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, Ukraine is a coastal State in the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait in the waters along with the territory of Ukrainian Crimea," said Zelenko.
Commenting on the statement of Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko that Ukraine's recognition of Crimea as "Russian" will allegedly be a "good basis" for the settlement of the issue of maritime delineation, Zelenko said that "the outrageous demand of the Russian official to recognize the illegal occupation of Crimea is another dirty manipulation by the Kremlin."
In February 2014, armed people in uniforms without insignias appeared in Crimea and captured the Supreme Council of Crimea, the Simferopol Airport, the Kerch ferry crossing and other strategic objects, and prevented the Ukrainian army from taking action. Initially, the Russian government refused to acknowledge that these armed people were Russian soldiers, but President Vladimir Putin later admitted it.
On 16 March 2014, a referendum on the status of Crimea was held in Crimea and Sevastopol, in which the inhabitants supposedly voted for the peninsula to become part of Russia. The outcome of the so-called referendum is not recognized by Ukraine, the EU or the US. On 18 March, Putin announced the “annexation” of Crimea to Russia.
International organizations have declared the occupation and annexation illegal and condemned Russia’s actions. Western countries have imposed economic sanctions on Russia in connection with the annexation. Russia claims to have “restored historical justice”. Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, declared 20 February 2014 the start of Russia’s temporary occupation of Crimea and Sevastopol.