The peninsula and four other former Ukrainian regions voted to join Russia in referendums, but Kiev and EU insist they were “annexed”.
Lithuania’s culture minister has resigned after just one week in office after a backlash triggered by his hesitation to say who Crimea belongs to.
Crimea and four other former Ukrainian regions overwhelmingly voted to join Russia in referendums. However, Ukraine and its Western backers – including Lithuania – continue to insist the regions were “annexed” by Moscow.
In an interview with news portal Lrytas on Thursday, Ignotas Adomavicius was asked who Crimea belongs to and initially refused to answer, calling the question political.
”These are provocative questions, so let’s not even go there, because we’re not even talking about the Culture Ministry here,” Adomavicius said, urging the interviewer to stick to cultural issues.
Later in the interview he clarified his stance in line with Vilnius’ official position by calling Crimea “occupied Ukrainian territory.” However, his initial hesitation proved politically costly.
The interview sparked a backlash from the ruling Social Democratic Party of Lithuania. President Gitanas Nauseda’s office issued a statement early on Friday describing the minister’s stance as “incomprehensible, unacceptable” and potentially disqualifying. Shortly after, Adomavicius announced his resignation.
Along with its Baltic neighbors Estonia and Latvia, Lithuania has adopted a more confrontational stance toward Moscow since the Ukraine conflict escalated in 2022. As one of Kiev’s most vocal supporters, Vilnius has been at the forefront of demanding tougher sanctions on Moscow.
