Kremlin: We’re Not Giving Back Crimea

Russia made it clear on Tuesday that, in case there were any doubts, it has no intention of returning Crimea to Ukraine. “There is no occupation of Crimea. Crimea is a region of the Russian Federation and of course the subject of our regions is not up for discussion,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Pesko during a call with reporters. The U.S. and the European Union have publicly committed to maintaining economic sanctions on Russia in response to the annexation of Crimea, which was approved by the Kremlin almost one year ago on March 21, 2014.