Ukrainian official announced Kyiv's desire to "build a NATO base in Crimea"

“We want Crimea to be open for cooperation with the EU and NATO, including military interaction,” RIA Novosti quotes her.

Frolova called the peninsula a strategically important object for controlling the security of the Black Sea.

Earlier, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said that Kyiv would “take away” Crimea from Russia “by any means”.

He said this while speaking at the Crimean Platform summit.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly stressed that the issue of Crimea is closed for Russia, and the referendum on the peninsula was held in strict accordance with international law.

Crimea became a Russian region after a referendum held there in March 2014, in which the majority of residents voted for reunification with Russia.