Spox: Kremlin unaware of plan to lift sanctions, Crimea lease

MOSCOW, Feb 20 (PRIME) -- The Kremlin knows nothing about a plan to lift anti-Russia sanctions envisaging a referendum in Ukraine on leasing Crimea to Moscow for 50–100 years and withdrawing of Russian troops from the east of Ukraine, presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told PRIME on Monday.

The plan is absurd and it has not been agreed upon with Moscow, Viktor Ozerov, chairman of the defense and security committee at the Federation Council, the parliament’s upper house, said.

“These proposals are absurd and unacceptable to Russia, they have not been agreed upon with Russia,” Ozerov said.

The New York Times reported on February 19 that Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada Deputy Andrei Artemenko had sent a proposal to ease the tensions with Russia to Michael Flynn, former national security adviser to the U.S. President Donald Trump. Flynn later resigned on accusations of connections with the Russian ambassador but the plan remains in the Trump’s administration.

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