MOSCOW, March 18. /TASS/. Russia’s presidential administration is not considering plans of demanding Kiev’s compensation for losses sustained by Crimea’s economy when the peninsula was part of Ukraine, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday.
"I’m not aware that this issue has been considered in the Kremlin," Peskov said, commenting on the initiative put forward earlier by State Duma (lower house) Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin.
The Kremlin has heard about this idea for the first time, Peskov added.
On March 15, Russia’s State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin suggested using European parliamentary institutions to make Kiev reimburse the losses Crimea suffered during 25 years of being part of Ukraine. Volodin spoke at the first joint meeting of the State Duma Council and Crimea’s parliament, the State Council, dedicated to the firth anniversary of the peninsula’s reunification with Russia.
Peskov said that it is the time that will resolve all disputes over Crimea’s reunification with Russia. "We are certain that time will put everything in the right place," he said. "People will be making trips to Crimea and Ukraine anyway, and they will see the real state of affairs."
"The most important thing is the Crimeans’ mood and their attitude to how significantly their life over the five years has changed for the better. This speaks for itself," Peskov said.
Peskov said that Moscow-Kiev relations were now at the freezing point through the Ukrainian authorities’ fault. Among other things he mentioned Kiev’s pullout from a number of Russian-Ukrainian agreements and a ban on the operation of a number of Russian mass media.