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Crimea and Sevastopol

Russia FM: Grudges over Crimea prompt Obama to say Russian economy in tatters

Lavrov recalled Obama saying that while some kept speaking about Putin as foresighted and wise, the United States left the Russian economy in tatters

Barack Obama EPA/TASS/DAN ANDERSON

Barack Obama

© EPA/TASS/DAN ANDERSON

MOSCOW, April 22. /TASS/. US President Barak Obama admitted that Russian President Vladimir Putin had been telling the truth while dwelling on the reasons behind the return of Crimea, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with three radio stations on Wednesday.

"If you take Crimea in terms of somebody’s concern, Putin once again spoke in detail about how it all happened in Andrey Kondrashov’s film ‘Crimea: The road to the Homeland," Lavrov said.

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"Only when the president understood what sort of people had sprung to power in Ukraine and how all these guarantees of western countries under the document of February 21 had been trampled on, when appeals were launched to ‘cleanse’ Crimea of Russians, only then Putin made this decision [to return Crimea to Russia’s jurisdiction]," Lavrov said.

"At the end of 2014, Barack Obama gave an interview with CNN, lauding in every way his foresight and at a certain point became personal comparing himself with Putin," Lavrov continued, adding that one could see Obama’s pride was hurt.

Lavrov recalled Obama saying that while some kept speaking about Putin as foresighted and wise, the United States left the Russian economy in tatters.

And then, advancing his policy and rejecting Russia’s farsightedness and ability to look ahead, he said the US had "brokered a deal to transition power in Ukraine," while Putin was improvising with Crimea, Lavrov continued. "This was a Freudian slip," he said.

Obama acknowledged that Putin was right and was telling the truth when saying when and why he had been prompted to do this.

"Our neighbours [Belarus and Kazakhstan] understand it perfectly clearly, you may rest assured," Lavrov added.

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