US not to change its policy of non-recognition of Crimea annexation by Russia

“First off, I need to be clear. The United States does not and will not recognize Crimea’s claimed annexation by Russia. We have put in place under Secretary Pompeo a long-term policy of refusing to recognize this, we have sanctions in place as a result. Ans it’s not going to change,” U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations Kurt Volker said during a video conference on Tuesday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

When asked to comment on Russian efforts to militarize the annexed Crimea, the diplomat noted: “Russia, of course, physically controls the territory of Crimea and it’s not a surprise they have increased their military deployments in that area as well.”

“If to consider the situation around Ukraine and in the Black Sea region more broadly, Russia is already there. It has a Black Sea coastline, it has a very powerful military, it has deployed that military inside Russian territory, recognized Russian territory, surrounding Ukraine. And the additional deployments in Crimea don’t make a fundamental change to the Russian presence that is already there,” Volker noted.

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