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Behind the scenes, John Kerry deemed Crimea referendum legit, but urged a repeat – Lavrov

Former US Secretary of State John Kerry recognized that the outcome of the 2014 Crimea referendum re..

      Former US Secretary of State John Kerry recognized that the outcome of the 2014 Crimea referendum reflected the will of the people, but instead of admitting it publicly, quietly called for a repeat vote, Sergey Lavrov said.      

In an extensive interview with RBK news site, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the Obama administration's secretary of state, John Kerry, agreed with Moscow that the March 2014 referendum in Crimea, which turned out overwhelmingly in favor of reuniting with Russia, genuinely showed the people's support for the move.

Also on rt.com Kerry ratchets up anti-Russia rhetoric as Ukraine spirals

At the same time, Kerry reportedly urged Moscow to conduct the popular vote again for the sake of protocol.

"I won't reveal a big secret if I say that John Kerry was telling me in April 2014: 'Everything is clear. Everything happened the way the Crimean people wanted. But, for form's sake, hold another one [referendum]," Lavrov stated.

READ MORE: Sealing the deal: Can Kerry and Lavrov fix the reset?

Moscow dismissed the idea as unnecessary.

"If you already understand everything, why make people vote again?" Lavrov said, explaining the Kremlin's reasoning.

Lavrov, who is one of the longest-serving senior Russian officials, in office since 2004, said he hopes his revelations won't spoil his relationship with Kerry.

Read more

 <a href="https://www.rt.com/usa/338726-kerry-praises-russia-role-syria/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">                                                                                                                                                                                                              <img src="https://cdni.rt.com/files/2016.04/thumbnail/5705f2d1c36188e5798b45c7.jpg" alt="U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry © Eduardo Munoz " />                                                   </a> 

"I hope John will not take offence at me," Lavrov said, adding that Kerry, in his own memoir, also spilled some of their tête-à-tête conversations. Lavrov and Kerry were on good terms during the latter's tenure as secretary of state from 2013 to 2017 – their rapport was credited in sealing the 2013 deal on destroying Syrian chemical weapons.

Kerry is unlikely to admit he ever recognized the Crimean referendum – considering Washington's official position at the time. The US staunchly opposed the idea of a referendum even before it took place, declaring the vote "invalid" in a UN Security Council resolution, subsequently Read More – Source
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