Kremlin Unable to Verify Trump's Remarks on Crimea

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Kremlin is not commenting on alleged statements of US President Donald Trump regarding Crimea and reinstatement of the G8 format, since it is unable to confirm the veracity of the media reports on the issue, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday.

"You know, I would like not to comment on this issue, because there is so much fake news, we cannot verify them. Neither you nor we attended these G7 private meetings and therefore we are unable to verify the media reports," Peskov told reporters, commenting on the issue.

READ MORE: From 'Obama Did It' to 'Part of Russia': Evolution of Trump's Position on Crimea

On Thursday, Buzzfeed reported citing diplomatic sources that Trump told the G7 leaders during a private G7 dinner that Crimea belonged to Russia because the peninsula’s residents spoke the Russian language. Trump also reportedly called Ukraine one of the most corrupted countries in the world, wondering why the G7 support it. The White House, however, has not yet commented on the president's words. 

Crimea seceded from Ukraine and rejoined Russia in the spring of 2014 when over 97 percent of the peninsula residents voted in favor of reunification in a referendum. After the vote, Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a decree on the rehabilitation of the Crimean Tatars and other peoples deported from the peninsula.