Washington doesn't recognize Crimea as part of Russia - US embassy in Russia - Jun. 15, 2018

Washington doesn’t recognize Crimea as part of Russia – US embassy in Russia

Published June 15, 2018 at 3:40 pm

Russian President Vladimir Putin makes a speech during the opening ceremony of the road-and-rail Crimean Bridge over the Kerch Strait on May 15, 2018. Vladimir Putin inaugurated the 19 kilometres (12 miles) bridge consisting of parallel road and railway sections that link southern Russia to the Crimean peninsula which was annexed from Ukraine in 2014, a highly symbolic project he has personally championed. Built at a cost of 228 billion rubles ($3.69 billion), the new structure connects the southern Krasnodar region with the Crimean city of Kerch, spanning a strait between the Black Sea and the Azov Sea.

Photo by AFP

The US position on the status of Crimea has not changed, it is part of Ukraine, the US embassy in Russia told Interfax on June 15.

“As we have said many times before, Crimea is part of Ukraine and our Crimea-related sanctions will remain in place until Russia returns control of the peninsula to Ukraine,” the embassy press officer said, when asked to comment on the reports that US President Donald Trump had called Crimea Russian at the G7 summit and responding to a question as to whether the US position on the status of Crimea can be considered to have changed in connection with these reports.