MINSK, April 11. /ITAR-TASS/. Ukrainian Ambassador to Belarus Mykhailo Yezhel has returned to Minsk, a diplomat of the Ukrainian Embassy in Belarus told ITAR-TASS on Friday.

“Following a statement made by President Alexander Lukashenko on March 23, the Foreign Ministry (of Ukraine) recalled the Ukrainian ambassador from Belarus for consultations and sent a note to the Belarusian side,” Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Yevgeniy Perebeynis said on March 24.

Earlier, Lukashenko said Belarus had recognized de facto that Crimea was part of Russia.