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Crimea and Sevastopol

Kremlin refutes reports Russia, Ukraine allegedly sought agreement on ‘lease of Crimea’

"Crimea is an inalienable part of Russia. It is a Russian region," Dmitry Peskov stressed

MOSCOW, June 14. /TASS/. Crimea is an integral part of Russia, and therefore no agreements on the peninsula’s "lease" have ever been discussed with Ukraine, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said earlier that Russian President Vladimir Putin had given him a draft of the Istanbul agreements between Moscow and Kiev, which allegedly contained a clause on "the lease of Crimea."

"No, that is not true," Peskov said when asked whether such a possibility had been on the table.

"Crimea is an inalienable part of Russia. It is a Russian region," he stated.

Peskov was speaking about the draft agreement negotiated by the Russian and Ukrainian delegations in the spring of 2022 in Istanbul, which provided for the cessation of hostilities. On Tuesday, Putin said Russia and Ukraine initialed an agreement in Istanbul, which he described as "not bad." However, the Kiev authorities proceeded to just throw it away. The Russian leader did not reveal the content of the document.

Speaking about the subject matter of the agreement, Lukashenko dubbed it as "normal." "Even on Crimea - a long-term lease and on Donbass in the east. A normal agreement," the Belarusian leader said.

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Foreign policy Crimea and Sevastopol

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