Crimean prime minister says Zeman’s proposal “immoral”

The prime minister of Crimea, Sergei Aksyonov, has sharply rejected Czech President Milos Zeman’s recent suggestion that Ukraine should receive compensation from Russia for the annexation of Crimea. In an interview for the Russian news agency TASS Aksyonov said the proposal was immoral.

The Czech president has come under fire from all sides for suggesting in an address to the Council of Europe that Crimea’s annexation was a fait accompli and instead of sanctions against Russia the international community would be better advised to push for some sort of compensation for Ukraine in the form of natural gas or crude oil. Both Kiev and Moscow sharply rejected the idea.