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Ukraine and the West do not accept, Lukashenko: Crimea is "de facto" Russian

Ukraine and the West do not accept, Lukashenko: Crimea is "de facto"

President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko has said that the Crimean Peninsula, annexed by Ukraine from Moscow in 2014, is legally Russian territory in a change of his public stance on the territorial dispute over the Black Sea region.

Belarus is a close ally of Russia, but did not recognize the peninsula as Russian after Moscow invaded it in a move that drew Western economic sanctions and sanctions.

Most of the world still recognizes the territory as Ukrainian and Kiev seeks it again. But in an interview , Lukashenko said Crimea was "de facto Russian."

In 2014, Russia's vote saw a large majority supporting Crimea's union with Russia, but was rejected by Kiev and the West. Russia is currently deploying troops and military equipment near Ukraine, a move that has raised fears of a possible invasion.

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