OREANDA-NEWS. Emine Dzhaparova, Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine, said that Kiev is ready to impose sanctions against Belarus if the planes of its airlines fly to Crimea.

On June 1, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko said that Minsk is working with Moscow on the issue of opening flights to Crimea.

Dzhaparova, in a comment to the Ukrinform agency, said: “We have recorded for ourselves the statements of Mr. Lukashenko about appealing to Russia and Putin for the possible opening of flights to the occupied Crimea ... We will act instantly against any attempts to legitimize the occupation of Crimea by Russia ... And if at least one plane the Belarusian airline will find itself on the territory of the occupied Crimea, sanctions will be inevitable with all the negative consequences."

It is recalled that Ukraine has abolished flights with Belarus since May 26 after the insident with an emergency landing of a Ryanair flight in Minsk. Moreover, Ukrainian airlines and aircraft are banned from flying in the airspace of Belarus. After this decision, the embassy of Belarus sent a note of protest to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, calling the decision of Kiev political, absurd and unfounded. Since May 29, Ukraine has closed the airspace for Belarusian aircraft completely.

The leadership of the Russian Federation has repeatedly stated that the inhabitants of Crimea themselves voted for reunification with Russia in a democratic way, in full compliance with international law and the UN Charter. According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Crimea issue is "finally closed."