The United States will not recognize the legitimacy of the elections to be held in the territory of the Russian-occupied Crimea, according to a statement by Assistant Secretary and spokesperson at the U.S. Department of State John Kirby.
”The United States does not recognize the legitimacy, and will not recognize the outcome, of the Russian Duma elections planned for Russian-occupied Crimea on September 18th,” reads the statement published on the website of the U.S. Department of State.
”Our position on Crimea is clear: the peninsula remains an integral part of Ukraine,” Kirby said.
The statement reads that ”Crimea-related sanctions against Russia will remain until Russia returns control of Crimea to Ukraine”.
Earlier Ukraine`s Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin has said Ukraine may recall its delegation from PACE in case the elections in Crimea are recognized.
Earlier, on September 8, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted a resolution calling on foreign parliaments not to recognize the elections to the State Duma in Russian-occupied Crimea.
The elections to Russia`s State Duma will be held September 18. In the annexed Crimea, four deputies are to be elected to the lower house of the Russian parliament (three- in the so-called ”Republic of Crimea” and another one – in Sevastopol).
