“There is no Crimean peninsula, it will never return ... this is a fact,” RIA Novosti quoted Schonbach as saying at a conference of the Indian Institute of Defense Studies Manohar Parrikar.

Earlier, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Economy of Slovakia Richard Sulik said that Russia "in any case will not return" Crimea to Ukraine, and EU sanctions only bring harm, so it is necessary to develop relations with Moscow.

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