Kremlin Comments on Accusations of New US Envoy to UN Over Crimea

Russia disagrees with new US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley's comments on Crimea's status, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday, noting that Moscow has never been too optimistic about the prospect of sanctions relief under the new US administration.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Haley said on Thursday that Washington's sanctions related to the Russian peninsula in the Black Sea would "remain in place" despite a 2014 referendum in which the majority of Crimeans voted to secede from Ukraine and join Russia.

"We certainly do not agree with this statement, and we will continue to consistently and convincingly voice our position to all the members of the UN Security Council meetings and our other partners, including the US permanent representative," Peskov told reporters.

Peskov noted that Moscow was "never overly optimistic" about the United States' stance on sanctions, saying "we have talked about this from the beginning."

During her confirmation hearings in the Senate, Haley said that the US should be careful when dealing with Russia because Moscow cannot be trusted. She also commented the US sanctions against Russia and said that they should be maintained until there is a dramatic shift in Moscow's foreign policy.