Lavrov: Russian officials do not require Ukraine's permission to visit Crimea
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Russian leaders do not require permission to visit the Crimea, commenting on Ukraine’s protest over Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to the annexed peninsula, TASS reported.
On Wednesday, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry issued a note of protest over Putin’s visit to the Crimea, where he was participating in “Forum for Action” in Yalta.
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine expresses its strong protest to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation in connection with another… visit by Russian President Putin to the temporarily occupied territory [of the Crimea],” the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry’s press service announced in a statement.
Commenting on Kyiv’s statement, Lavrov stated, "It is of no interest to us. This is our land. Our leaders have the right to visit our territory without anybody’s permission,” Lavrov said.
The internationally recognized Ukrainian territory of the Crimea was annexed by the Russian Federation in March of 2014. The Kremlin has faced international condemnation for its annexation of the peninsula, leading many western countries to impose economic sanctions against Russia. In the United Nations, only Afghanistan, North Korea, Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Syria recognize the Crimea as a legitimate federal subject of Russia.