Ambassador rebukes Chinese diplomat in France who says status of Ukraine and Crimea is "not that simple"

Ukraine’s ambassador to France, Vadym Omelchenko, has responded to the outrageous statements that China’s ambassador to France has made about Crimea and the status of Ukraine in international law.

Source: Vadym Omelchenko, Ambassador of Ukraine to France, on Twitter, as reported by European Pravda

China's ambassador to France, Lu Shaye, said in an interview that the former Soviet countries "do not have an effective status in international law" because there is no international agreement that gives substance to their status as sovereign countries.

When asked whether he considers Crimea to be a part of Ukraine, the ambassador said that "it depends on how you perceive the problem," adding that "it’s not that simple".

The Chinese diplomat also said that Crimea was "Russian at the beginning", but did not specify what he meant by the beginning.

Ukrainian ambassador Vadym Omelchenko responded robustly to these remarks.

"Either there are obvious problems with [the ambassador's understanding of] geography; or such statements go against the Chinese capital’s position ‘regarding efforts to restore peace in Ukraine based on international law and the goals and principles of the UN Charter.’

The test question "Who does Crimea belong to?" is, as always, revealing. Next time it would be good to expand it with the question "Who does Vladivostok belong to?" There is no room for ambiguity here. Crimea is Ukraine," Omelchenko tweeted.

He added that "the Soviet empire no longer exists, and history moves on."

Background: Bloomberg has reported that French President Emmanuel Macron, with China’s assistance, is looking for a way to bring the leaders of Ukraine and Russia to the negotiating table.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!