Antonov compared attacks on Crimea with an attack on any part of Russia

Attacks on Crimea, for which Washington “blessed” Kyiv, would be regarded as an attack on any other Russian region. This statement was made by Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov, commenting on the statements of the White House following the G7 summit in Hiroshima.

“I would like to warn representatives of the administration against frivolous judgments on Crimea, especially in terms of “blessing” the Kyiv regime for air attacks on the peninsula. Let me remind you that strikes on this territory are considered by us as an attack on any other subject of the Russian Federation,” leads his words to the press service of the embassy.

Antonov added that the United States should “be aware” that in such a situation Russia would retaliate. According to the diplomat, such steps indicate the unwillingness of the United States to achieve peace in Ukraine and confirm the correctness of the decision to launch a special operation. Washington continues to “stoke the flames of the conflict,” Antonov said.

The day before, May 21, US national security adviser Jake Sullivan in an interview with CNN declaredthat the United States does not limit Ukraine in strikes “on territories within its internationally recognized borders.” The White House stressed that they consider Crimea to be Ukrainian territory.

Crimea became part of Russia in 2014 after a referendum. According to its results, 96.77% of voters in the Republic of Crimea and 95.6% in Sevastopol were in favor of joining Russia. At the same time, the Ukrainian authorities did not recognize the results of the vote and the entry of Crimea into the Russian Federation and repeatedly announced their intention to “return” the peninsula, including by military means.

In January, an adviser to the office of the President of Ukraine, Mikhail Podolyak, said that Kyiv was negotiating with Western countries regarding the transfer of aviation and long-range missiles to the country, “which will allow the destruction of the rear infrastructure, primarily artillery depots.” He noted that a large number of such facilities are located in the Crimea. In response, Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev warned Kyiv that an attack on Crimea would lead to “inevitable retaliation with the use of any weapon.”