Lukashenko on Events in Crimea in 2014: No One Fought for This Land

Ukraine gave Crimea to Russia in 2014, and no one fought for this territory. This was stated by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in an interview with the American television company Newsmax TV, BelTA informed.

Interviewer Greta Conway Van Susteren mentioned Crimea in one of her questions, which, according to Ukraine, was the starting point of the war in 2014.

"There was no war in Crimea. Today, Zelensky and the Ukrainian authorities say that Crimea is Ukrainian. Crimea is a gem. No matter who it belongs to, it is a gem, a paradise," said Alexander Lukashenko. "They say that the war has begun. War is when two sides fight head-on with weapons in their hands. Not a single shot was fired by the Ukrainians in Crimea. Well, why would the Russians need to shoot when they occupied and liberated Crimea, as they say? There was no need to shoot because no one fought for Crimea. No one fought for Crimea. I saw it with my own eyes. Not a single shot was fired by Ukraine."

Responding to the clarification that Russia had annexed Crimea, the President of Belarus said: "You can say 'annexed', you can say 'liberated', you can say 'captured'. It's a philosophical question. That's not the point. But if it's your land, why didn't you defend it? The Ukrainians gave it away; they simply gave it to the Russians. I once said that the Russians acted wisely there. They negotiated with those who were supposed to defend Crimea, and thus Crimea was efficiently handed over to the 'little green men', as you called them at the time."