According to the
Kremlin spokesman, the situation in Donbass was Ukraine’s domestic affair.
MOSCOW, February 12.
/TASS/. There can be no bargaining over Crimea, Russian Presidential Spokesman
Dmitry Peskov told reporters, when asked if Moscow could return control over
the Russian-Ukrainian border in Donbass to Kiev to make sure that Ukraine
resumed water supplies to Crimea.
Peskov pointed out
that Crimea was a Russian region where water was supplied in accordance with development
programs. "If there are any initiatives concerning additional water
supplies, perhaps commercial ones, they could be considered," the Kremlin
spokesman added.
According to Peskov,
the situation in Donbass was Ukraine’s domestic affair. "We are doing our
best to facilitate efforts to resolve [the conflict]," he noted, adding
that Kiev needed to discuss the border issue with the self-proclaimed Donbass
republics. "As of now, one can assume with a high degree of certainty that
they will not agree to change the essence of the Minsk Agreements signed by
their leaders," Peskov emphasized.
Ukrainian lawmaker
David Arakhamiya, a member of the presidential faction, suggested on Tuesday
that Ukraine should establish water supplies to Crimea in return for control
over the border with Russia in Donbass. However, Ukraine’s new Presidential
Chief of Staff Andrei Yermak said later that he had "never discussed water
supplies to Crimea with Russian officials during talks on Donbass." He
added that Arakhamiya had only expressed his personal opinion.
Crimean reunification
After Ukrainian
President Viktor Yanukovich was ousted in a coup in February 2014, mass
protests erupted in Crimea and eastern Ukraine. On March 11, 2014, Crimea’s
Supreme Council and Sevastopol City Council adopted a declaration of
independence.
On March 16, 2014,
Crimean authorities held a referendum on reuniting with Russia. Over 80% of
voters participated in the plebiscite, most of them supporting the idea (96.7%
in Crimea and 95.6% in the city of Sevastopol).
On March 18,
President Vladimir Putin signed the treaty on Crimea’s reunification with
Russia and the Federal Assembly (parliament) approved the document on March 21.
However, Kiev has so far refused to acknowledge Crimea as part of Russia.
In May 2018, Ukraine
stopped supplying water to Crimea through the North Crimean Canal built in
1961-71.
Source: ITAR-TASS
12-02-2020
