When the moderator intervened that the Black Sea Peninsula, occupied by #Russia since 2014, is part of #Ukraine under international law, #Shaye replied: "In international law, even these countries of the former #Soviet Union have no effective status because there is no #international agreement to establish their status as #sovereign countries to specify."

In an interview on French television, #China's ambassador to Paris, Lu #Shaye, previously questioned the sovereignty of states that were once part of the Soviet Union. Asked whether #Crimea is part of #Ukraine the diplomat said it all depends on how you look at this issue.