SIMFEROPOL, August 20. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump has an open invitation to visit Crimea, to experience all its charm and beauty, and to see how much it has flourished since returning to Russia, Speaker of Crimea’s State Council Vladimir Konstantinov told TASS.
In his recent interview with US reporter Mark Levin, Trump praised Crimea’s beauty, although he seemed a little confused about where exactly Crimea is located, saying the peninsula was in the ocean. Trump recently stated in a conversation with Fox News that Crimea’s return to Ukraine was impossible, which some pundits in Moscow have called de facto recognition of its belonging to Russia.
"It’s a pity that Donald Trump did not have the opportunity to visit us during the Ukrainian period of our history, so that he, like the residents of Crimea, could personally compare the condition of this pristine land then and now," Konstantinov said.
He stressed that the peninsula is currently experiencing an economic boom and added that Trump’s misconceptions about the ocean could be "easily fixed during a personal visit to Crimea." According to Konstantinov, the region must be fully recognized as Russian.
"It's not water that makes Crimea such a gem — it's Russia that polished it. We never doubted this, but over the past 11 years we have been able to see it for ourselves," Konstantinov said.
Crimea and the city of Sevastopol became part of Russia following a referendum held on March 16, 2014, after a coup in Ukraine. More than 80% of eligible voters on the peninsula took part, with 96.7% in Crimea and 95.6% in Sevastopol voting in favor of reunification with Russia. On March 18, 2014, the Russian president and the leaders of Crimea and Sevastopol signed an agreement on their admission to Russia, which was ratified by the Federal Assembly on March 21.