“We are no less worried about Lukashenka, who decided to be neutral after Russia invaded Crimea.
And now he has gone even further as a puppet of Russia and is going to visit Crimea and change the status of his state.
We have no doubts that he is pushing Belarus into the arms of Moscow, giving up not only the energy future, but only aggravating the situation, "said Nuland, quoted by RIA Novosti.
She also added that the United States is generally concerned about the "situation in Belarus."
Earlier, Lukashenko said in an interview with RIA Novosti that Crimea de facto and de jure became Russian after the 2014 referendum.
The Kremlin called this statement important, as well as the fact that, in the perception of the Belarusian side, Crimea is de facto and de jure Russian.
As Senator from Crimea Olga Kovitidi noted in an interview with RT, the statement of the President of Belarus testifies to Lukashenko's recognition of the most important democratic principle - the right of the people to self-determination.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly stressed that the Crimea issue 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 the peninsula's residents voted in favor of reunification with Russia.