You're reading: Russian ambassador: No Ukraine decision made, planned by UN Secutiry Council

The United Nations Security Council did not make any decisions over the Crimean referendum, Russian Ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin said.

“Regrettably, some of my colleagues in the Security Council are in the habit of attributing their point of view, in public, even at open sessions, to the entire Security Council. At one of recent sessions I noted that this is professionally “untidy” and asked them not to do so anymore. But I shall stress that the Security Council has made no decision on Ukrainian affairs, nor is drafting this sort of decisions,” Churkin said in an interview with the Saturday News with Sergei Brilev television program, which was broadcast in Russia’s Far East region.

Recognizing the legitimacy or illegitimacy of any particular actions in the territory of other states is a government’s prerogative, the Russian ambassador said. “In other words, the Russian government can determine its attitude on whether any particular body of power or any particular action in the Ukrainian territory is legitimate or illegitimate. The Americans, of course, are free to do the same. For instance, they recognize the new Ukrainian authorities in Kyiv as legitimate but we don’t. We too can and will recognize the legitimacy of the Crimean referendum, while they, naturally, could be repeating that they don’t recognize its legitimacy,” Churkin said.

There can be no general rule or international resolution on recognition of any particular government or a referendum in any particular state, he said.

“This would be illegal, so here we have the right to shape our attitude towards what is happening in Crimea, including the referendum,” Churkin said.