Russian response: False, Lukashenko: Russia Ukraine negotiations to lease Crimea Crimea | Russia | Lukashenko
According to a report by Russian news agency on June 14th, Belarusian President Lukashenko stated that Russia and Ukraine seem to be reaching an agreement on leasing Crimea during negotiations in Istanbul. Russian President's press secretary Peskov commented that Crimea is a region of Russia and cannot be rented by any country.
Peskov
The report stated that the reporter asked Peskov to confirm whether this was indeed the case, and the latter said, "No, it's not like that." He emphasized, "Crimea is an integral part of the Russian Federation and a region of Russia."
According to reports, after a coup in Ukraine, Crimea was annexed by Russia after a referendum in March 2014. Ukraine still regards Crimea as a temporarily occupied national territory, and many Western countries support Kiev's position. Russian leaders have repeatedly stated that Crimean residents voted in favor of democratic reunification with Russia in accordance with international law and the United Nations Charter. Russian President Putin stated that the Crimean issue has been "completely resolved".