Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova described UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ assessment that the principle of peoples’ right to self-determination does not apply to Crimea and Donbass as “irrational.”
Zakharova reacted on her Telegram channel to Guterres’ statement that the right to self-determination cannot be exercised in Crimea and Donbass.
“What kind of irrational conclusions has the UN Secretariat not reached lately?” Zakharova said.
Earlier, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stated that, unlike Greenland, the principle of peoples’ right to self-determination does not apply to Crimea and the Donbass regions, and that in this case the principle of “territorial integrity” takes precedence.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov previously said that, citing the example of Greenland, Russia had asked the UN for its opinion on whether the peoples of Donbass, Novorossiya, and Crimea also have the right to determine their own future in a similar manner.
Lavrov recalled that after the United States announced its plans regarding Greenland, UN Secretary-General’s Spokesman Stéphane Dujarric stated that “the issue should be resolved on the basis of international law, with respect for the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Denmark and in accordance with the right of the people of Greenland to self-determination.”