Putin in the Crimea were treated to French cookies

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in the annexed Crimea today. In Yalta, a meeting of the Presidium of the State Council of the Russian Federation on the development of tourism was held, as well as a meeting with representatives of national public associations.

During a meeting with public figures, Putin criticized the Ukrainian authorities and compared the multinational Crimea with all of Russia.

Journalists showed what they honored Putin and guests. On the tables you can see cups of tea, berries, sweets and French pastry biscuits.

Photo: twitter.com/dimsmirnov175

The Russian leader went to the peninsula to hold a meeting on tourism. Among other things, during his conversation with the head of Crimea Sergey Aksenov and the head of Rostourism Oleg Safonov, problems of Crimea were also discussed.

Now it is possible to get from the territory of Russia to the annexed peninsula only by ferry. But it does not withstand the flow of cars and closes every time the sea storms.

Huge queues of cars and showdown. After feeling last year all the difficulties of the ferry, this summer, tourists from Russia are resting at other resorts. Crimeans have a loss in income.

The other day in Kerch, the first pile of the future bridge was hammered. The bridge must pass through the island of Tuzla and reach the Taman Peninsula. The construction site of the Kerch ferry was entrusted to Putin’s childhood friend, billionaire Arkady Rottenberg. The cost of the project may be about 500 million dollars. But this is a heavy burden for the Russian economy, including because of the sanctions imposed after the annexation of the Crimea.

Ukrainian authorities expressed indignation over the visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to the Crimea.

This is the third visit of the President of Russia to the peninsula since the moment when Crimea was annexed by Russia in March 2014.

Crimea, meeting of the State Council Presidium.
Photo: Kremlin site

President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko called Putin’s trip to the Crimea a challenge for the civilized world and a continuation of the scenario of heightening the situation.

“Putin’s arrival in Ukrainian Crimea without the consent of the Ukrainian authorities is a challenge for the civilized world and a continuation of the scenario of escalating the situation, which is being implemented by the Russian military and their mercenaries in the Donbass,” says the official account of the Ukrainian president in Facebook.

According to Poroshenko, “such trips mean further militarization” of the peninsula and lead to even greater isolation.

“Only as part of Ukraine does Crimea have a future, including tourism,” the Ukrainian leader noted.

In turn, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine demanded that Russia clarify the trip of President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev to the Crimea.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine expresses a strong protest in connection with the latest visit by the top leadership of the Russian Federation to the territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, which was not agreed with Ukraine on August 17, 2015,” the message says.

Russia annexed Crimea in March 2014 of the year, which caused the condemnation of the world community, which, like the leadership of Ukraine, continues to consider the peninsula a part of Ukraine.

The annexation of the Crimea led to the imposition of sanctions against Russia by the United States and the European Union countries.