Kremlin responds to Crimea claim by ‘aggressive US hawk’
Washington’s support for Kiev’s strikes on the peninsula highlights its role in stoking global tensions, Putin’s spokesman said | US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland said on Thursday that Russian military installations in Crimea “are legitimate targets” for Ukraine, and that Washington supports Kiev’s attacks on them. The peninsula overwhelmingly voted to become part of Russia in 2014 following a Western-backed coup in Kiev, but Ukraine still views it as part of its own territory. In an interview with the Rossiya-1 TV channel, Peskov described Nuland as part of 💬 “a very large group of the most aggressive hawks in American politics”. The spokesman said the diplomat’s remarks “once again emphasize the depth of differences between us” and highlight “the role of the United States as the main instigator of existing global tensions.” ● On Friday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova condemned Nuland’s statement on Crimea as 💬 “staggering” and “absurd,” calling it proof of “the US involvement in the Ukraine conflict.” In addition to supplying Kiev with weapons, the US is now “pushing the Kiev regime to further escalation,” she said. “This is what we had warned about before and what had forced us to launch a special military operation.”
■ Calling Crimea 'Legitimate Target' for Strikes Shows US as Instigator of Tensions, Kremlin Says (Sputnik News)