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Originally Posted by JohnDoe2

Tue Feb 14, 2017 | 1:42pm EST

Trump expects Russia to return Crimea to Ukraine: White House

Russia tells White House it will not return Crimea to Ukraine

It's good that Russia took Crimea off the table. Crimea should be with Russia not Ukraine.

White House: Trump Made It Clear Russia Must 'Return Crimea' To Ukraine


February 14, 2017

• RFE/RL

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Speaking at a February 14 press conference, White House spokesman Sean Spicer said that "at the same time," Trump "fully expects to and wants to get along with Russia."


WASHINGTON -- The White House has said that President Donald Trump fully expects Russia to return control of Crimea to Ukraine.

Spokesman Sean Spicer made the remarks at a contentious February 14 news conference that focused largely on the abrupt departure of Trump's national security adviser, Michael Flynn.
Flynn resigned less than 24 hours earlier, following news reports that said phone calls he held with Russia's ambassador prior to Trump's inauguration included discussions of sanctions imposed by then-President Barack Obama.

The Obama administration hit Russia with several waves of sanctions following Russia's March 2014 annexation of Crimea and the subsequent war in eastern Ukraine between Kyiv's forces and Russia-backed separatists.

Trump, meanwhile, has repeatedly said he wants better relations with Russia and that he would consider lifting sanctions against Moscow.

Multiple news reports in the past week have said Flynn specifically mentioned the issue of sanctions in phone calls with Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak weeks before Trump's inauguration on January 20.

Spicer defended Trump's approach to Russia, telling reporters on February 14 that the president "has made it very clear that he expects the Russian government to de-escalate the violence in the Ukraine and return Crimea."

"The irony of this entire situation is that the president has been incredibly tough on Russia. He continues to raise the issue of Crimea, which the previous administration allowed to be seized by Russia," Spicer said.

Spicer also pointed to remarks made by Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, in her first appearance before the Security Council on February 3, in which she forcefully condemned Russia, saying that "Crimea is a part of Ukraine."

Haley said in her remarks that "Crimea-related sanctions will remain in place until Russia returns control of the peninsula to Ukraine."

It was not clear whether Haley was also referring to sanctions imposed on Russia for its backing of separatists in eastern Ukraine.

One of the phone calls that Flynn had with Kislyak reportedly occurred on December 26. That was the same day that Obama announced a new set of sanctions against Russia in retaliation for what U.S. intelligence concluded was a systematic effort using computer hacking and propaganda to influence the presidential election.

Trump defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton to win the election.

http://www.rferl.org/a/us-ukraine-ru.../28309743.html

Crimea should stay with Russia where the Crimeans want it to be. They voted in a referendum. A follow up poll confirmed their choice. They are Russian for generations. They were never part of Ukraine, the people of whom are not Russians. They were "gifted" to Ukraine by Khrushchev because his wife was from Ukraine and he wanted to do something nice for them. Then the USSR breaks up and the poor Crimeans got stuck with the Ukainians who discriminate against the Russians. Then there was a coup in Ukraine and the Russians in Crimea said THAT'S IT, we want to move our province back home with Russia.

Why would Americans ever oppose a correction of a wrong??!! Gifting Crimea to Ukraine was wrong to begin with, that's not democracy, that's what Kings do, and when it was all USSR maybe it didn't matter so much, but now it does, they are separated and isolated from their homeland, Mother Russia. So, they decided to go back to Russia, their choice, they voted to go home.

Why would Trump demand that Russia Must 'Return Crimea' To Ukraine if it wasn't the right decision ?

I guess you you think you know better than Trump and his advisors.

"White House: Trump Made It Clear Russia Must 'Return Crimea' To Ukraine"

Yes, as a matter of fact I do. Trump already knows Crimea is going to stay with Russia where it belongs. These statements from the White House are just part of the Chess Game. Russia made their move in response, and now it's Trump's move.

He'll set up a meeting with Putin and use it to make a new deal. Trump wants Russia to help with Iran and North Korea. You'll see.

Originally Posted by Judy

Yes, as a matter of fact I do. . .

When you pretend to be a expert on every issue we just laugh and laugh.