SIMFEROPOL, October 17. /TASS/. Unlike US President Donald Trump, who pointed out the significance of the Crimean territory, the Ukrainian elites have not recognized the value of the peninsula, Vladimir Konstantinov, Chairman of the State Council of the Republic of Crimea, told TASS.

Earlier, in an interview with the Newsmax TV channel, Trump called Crimea the most beautiful piece of land and the most valuable part of the region, which Ukraine has renounced. The American leader noted that, as a developer, he understands good land plots.

"The Ukrainian elite, which is focused solely on enriching itself, has not matured to the point of perceiving Crimea as a promising, fertile territory. They never managed to 'swallow' Crimea. And Trump rightly saw this. Today, Crimea has enormous opportunities that will certainly be realized as part of the Russian Federation," Konstantinov said.

He said that Ukraine did not lose Crimea; it simply failed to gain it. Possessing the peninsula implies a high level of maturity of the state, which Ukraine lacked after gaining independence.

"Ukraine, which emerged after the collapse of the Soviet Union, failed to cope with this task," Konstantinov noted. "Of course, Crimea could have become a showcase for Ukraine, a place for development and friendship among the peoples of the former Soviet Union. Many projects could have been implemented on the peninsula."

Crimea and Sevastopol returned to Russia after a referendum held in March 2014. More than 80% of the peninsula’s eligible voters took part in it; 96.7% of Crimea’s residents and 95.6% of Sevastopol residents voted in favor of reunification with Russia. On March 18, 2014, the president of Russia and the leaders of Crimea and Sevastopol signed an agreement on the admission of the regions into Russia, and on March 21, the document was ratified by the Federal Assembly.