On Friday, US National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications, John Kirby, said Washington recognizes Ukraine's right to plan and conduct military operations in Crimea since it considers the peninsula to be Ukrainian territory, according to Almayadeen.
“Crimea is Ukraine. And Kyiv has the right to decide where it will conduct operations within its country, how they will be carried out, at what pace, on what scale, and in what time frame,” Kirby said.
In response, Georgiy Muradov said, "Kirby's statement on Crimea is a declaration of war on Russia, which the US instructs to wage with other people's bloody Nazi hands."
It is noteworthy that Crimea became part of Russia following a referendum held in March 2014 in which nearly 96% of Crimeans voted for accession to Russia.
While Ukraine still considers the peninsula to be its own territory, Russia has repeatedly stressed that the decision made by the Crimean people was in full compliance with international law and the UN Charter.
SKH/PR