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Kiev clings to idea of referendum to deviate from peace talks — Crimean politician

Vladimir Konstantinov added that Ukraine's global defeat on the path of European integration is inevitable

SIMFEROPOL, February 26. /TASS/. Kiev clings to the idea of organizing a referendum on potential territorial concessions on behalf of Ukraine in order to deviate from or prolong peace negotiations, Speaker of the Parliament of the Republic of Crimea Vladimir Konstantinov told TASS on Thursday.

German daily Junge Welt reported earlier that some 50 Ukrainian non-governmental organizations called on Vladimir Zelensky to prevent at any cost a referendum on potential territorial concessions in fear that its results might not match Kiev’s expectations.

"When they needed to stage a state coup, they didn't hold a referendum," Konstantinov said. "When it was necessary to get people killed on the Maidan, there were no referendums either. There were no referendums whatsoever when it was necessary to ban the Russian language and culture."

"This is why I believe that an attempted organization of a referendum is an attempt to deviate from the peace negotiations or to suspend them," he continued.

The senator added that Ukraine's global defeat on the path of European integration is inevitable.

"As of today, Ukraine’s possible European integration is completely bankrupted. People were killed, a lot of people," according to Konstantinov. "The country has lost part of its territories and sovereignty to such an extent that today no decision in the country is made independently."

"All decisions are made either in Paris or in England, or the devil knows where, and they are made not by Ukrainians and not for Ukrainians," he added.

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Ukraine crisis Foreign policy

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