EU ministers brand Chinese envoy's remarks on Ukraine's sovereignty 'totally unacceptable'

Recent remarks by the Chinese ambassador to France questioning the sovereignty of former Soviet states like Ukraine are totally unacceptable, foreign ministers for the Czech Republic and Lithuania said.
"It is totally unacceptable", Czech foreign minister Jan Lipavsky said ahead of an EU meeting in Luxembourg today.

"I hope bosses of this ambassador will make these things straight."
Asked about his position on whether Crimea is part of Ukraine or not, China's ambassador to Paris Lu Shaye said in an interview aired on French television on Friday that historically it was part of Russia and had been offered to Ukraine by former Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev.

"These ex-USSR countries don't have actual status in international law because there is no international agreement to materialize their sovereign status," Mr Lu added.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis also branded the comments "totally unacceptable" and said the three Baltic countries will officially ask China for clarification to check if its position has changed.
France, Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania all expressed dismay at Mr Lu's comments over the weekend.