Putin says Russia will not Cede Crimea under any Circumstances

VIENNA, June 4. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia would not cede Crimea to Ukraine under any circumstances. At the same time, he said in an interview with Austria's ORF broadcasting corporation in the run-up to his visit to Austria.

"When an unconstitutional armed coup happened in Ukraine, power was seized by force, our army was legally in Crimea, our military base was there under an agreement," Putin said. He drew attention to the fact that "Russian army was always present in Crimea."

"The first thing we did was to increase our contingent to protect our Armed Forces there, our military facilities, where, as we have seen, various assaults and encroachments were in preparation. That is how it all began," Putin said. "Our servicemen were always there. Like I said before - they were there, they did not participate in anything," he said.

"However, when the spiral of unconstitutional actions in Ukraine began twisting, when people in Crimea thought they were in danger, when nationalists were sent there by trains, started blocking buses and road transport, people wanted to protect themselves," Putin said. "This is how everything began, the process started in the parliament of Crimea to determine its independence from Ukraine," he added. The president noted that the UN Charter does not prohibit these actions, but on the contrary, "the right of nations to self-determination is explicitly stated" there.

"At this point, our Armed Forces, which did not even exceed the base's number under the agreement … ensured independent free elections - the will of people living in Crimea," Putin said. He noted, "The decision to hold this referendum was made by the Crimean parliament, which was elected in full compliance with the Constitution...