In a recent interview with Russian journalist Dmitry Kiselev, Alyaksandr Lukashenka said that after the referendum, Crimea is Russian de facto and de jure, Lukashenka’s press service writes.
During an interview, Dmitry Kiselev, director-general of the international news agency (MIA) Russia Today, asked Lukashenka about Crimea’s belonging.
“Crimea is de facto Russian. After the referendum, Crimea became Russian de jure as well,” Lukashenka said.
He also said that he was going to visit Crimea, in particular Sevastopol. Thus, according to Lukashenka, the visit will mean the recognition of it as Russian territory.
On November 4, Belarusian MP Andrei Savinykh said that Belarus had recognized Crimea as Russian territory. Ukraine, for its part, is watching the statements of Belarusian officials on the issue of Crimea’s belonging. Kyiv has threatened official Minsk with sanctions if it recognizes Crimea as Russian.
