Crimea official: Ukraine taking back peninsula is impossible
Vice Chairman of the State Council of the Republic of Crimea, Vladislav Ganjar, stated that in principle Kiev cannot have any plans to "take back the peninsula", because it is impossible.
 |
| Crimea peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014. Photo: Sputnik |
According to Ganjar, the Ukrainian authorities also clearly understood that Crimea was Russian territory. "This is another fabrication, mainly claimed for a domestic audience in Ukraine," he commented.
He stated that any attempt to resolve the Crimea issue by force is doomed to failure, and called on the Ukrainian authorities not to expand sanctions against Russia, as such a decision would harm Kiev first of all.
Earlier, the Deputy Representative of the President of Ukraine on Crimea, Izet Gdanov, stated that at present the Kiev government does not plan to use military force to bring the peninsula back under its control.
"We do not intend to use military means to liberate Crimea, but there has been a decision by the President of Ukraine regarding increasing pressure on the aggressor," UNN quoted Gdanov as saying.
He also called on Ukrainian government organizations to step up research on the issue of implementing sanctions against Russia and the possibility of expanding the list of sanctioned entities.