MOSCOW, August 10. /TASS/: Speculations by Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Reznikov about reparations Russia might be urged to pay for Crimea's reunification indicate that the authorities in Kiev are becoming aware that the peninsula has been hopelessly lost, the chairman of the State Duma's committee for CIS affairs, Eurasian Integration and Relations with Compatriots, Leonid Kalashnikov, told TASS on Tuesday.
"If they say they are prepared to accept money, this means they have realized that the peninsula will never return to Ukraine," Kalashnikov said, adding that "they will not get any reparations, though."
At the same time, he went on to say, the very term "reparations" looked quite remarkable.
"They have realized that Crimea will never return. This is a sure sign they are subconsciously aware that Crimea is a lost territory. Everything else is wishful thinking," he concluded.
Earlier, Reznikov told journalist Yevgeny Kiselyov in an interview he was certain that Russia would pay reparations for Crimea's reunification. At the same time, he added that the process of the "peninsula's return" would not be a fast one.
After the February 2014 government coup in Ukraine, the authorities of Crimea and Sevastopol held a referendum on reunification with Russia. More than 80% of those eligible to vote took part and 96.7% and 95.6% respectively voted for reunification. On March 18, 2014, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a treaty on the accession of the Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol to Russia. The Federal Assembly ratified it on March 21. In defiance of the unequivocal results of the vote, Kiev has refused to recognize Crimea as part of Russia.
