Russian Lawmaker Says Ukraine Wants 'Crimea Without Crimeans'

SIMFEROPOL (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 12th January, 2021) The deputy chairwoman of the Russian lower house's committee on international affairs, Natalya Poklonskaya, said on Tuesday that Ukraine wishes to return Crimea's territory, but does not care about the peninsula's residents.

On Monday, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that he considered Crimea to be Russia's open wound, adding that Ukraine "rubbed salt" into it.

"Kuleba said that Crimea was a wound on Russia's body and they had already rubbed a good portion of salt into it ... It is they who say 'we want to return Crimea's territory, but we do not need Crimeans.

' The territory without the people. It appears they want us to pack up and leave, give them the territory," Poklonskaya said at a press conference held in the Russian city of Simferopol located on the Crimean peninsula.

Crimea rejoined Russia after nearly 97 percent of voters supported the move in the March 2014 referendum. The majority of Western countries, as well as Ukraine, have not recognized the referendum results and placed sanctions on Russia. Moscow has repeatedly stated that Crimea's residents decided to rejoin Russia through a democratic procedure, adding that the referendum was conducted in compliance with international law.