Italy does not recognize the annexation of Ukraine's Crimea by Russia.
"The [Italian] government respects the norms of international law," Italy's Foreign Minister Enzo Moavero Milanesi said on Wednesday, July 25, when asked to comment on Italian Interior Minister and rightwing League leader Matteo Salvini's controversial statement on the Crimean "referendum," Italy's leading wire service Agenzia Nazionale Stampa Associata (ANSA) said.
Sanctions were imposed on Russia over the annexation of Crimea and invasion of Donbas, eastern Ukraine.
Read alsoItaly consistently supports Ukraine's territorial integrity: Ambassador
As UNIAN reported, Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister of Italy Salvini on July 20 said in an interview to The Washington Post that Russia had a right to annex Ukraine's Crimea in 2014 and the Revolution of Dignity in Ukraine was fake and a "pseudo-revolution." He also spoke in favor of lifting sanctions against the Russian Federation.
Ambassador of Italy to Ukraine Davide La Cecilia, who was later invited to Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs for explanations in connection with unacceptable statements by Salvini regarding Ukraine, assured his country consistently supports Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
