Lukashenko announces plans to visit Crimea and recognize the peninsula as part of Russia

In an interview with RIA Novosti, Belarusian head of state Alexander Lukashenko said that he and Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed on a visit to Crimea. According to Lukashenko, this trip will signify Minsk’s recognition of the peninsula as part of Russia.

“If the president [of Belarus] has already arrived there with the president of Russia, what other recognition can there be?! It’s redundant,” Lukashenko said on Tuesday, November 30.

The Belarusian leader didn’t specify when the visit to Crimea might take place, saying he would leave the decision up to Putin and was awaiting his invitation. “We talked about this [with Putin] three times. […] I said to him, when you invite me, then we’ll fly,” Lukashenko explained.

Also during the interview, Lukashenko said that “Crimea is de facto the Russian Crimea.” The Belarusian president made a similar statement after Moscow annexed the Ukrainian peninsula in March 2014, calling Crimea “de facto a part of Russia.”

• The United States, European Union, and other Western countries do not recognize Russia’s claim to Crimea. Ukraine considers the peninsula a temporarily occupied territory.