The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has described Russian President Vladimir Putin's ongoing visit to Crimea as "Russia's cynical and ostentatious negligence of universally recognized principles and international law."

"The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry is resolutely protesting against another uncoordinated with Ukraine visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to the Ukrainian temporarily occupied territory by Russia, that is, the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, which began on March 18, 2020," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

"Ukraine views this visit, as well as all previous uncoordinated with Ukraine visits by Russian public officials to the temporarily occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol as a blatant violation of Ukraine's state sovereignty and territorial integrity by the Russian side and as Russia's cynical and brazen disregard of universally recognized principles and regulations of international law, including the UN Charter, UN General Assembly resolutions, and Russia's commitments in line with bilateral and multilateral agreements, whose parties are Ukraine and Russia," the Foreign Ministry said.

"Crimea and Sevastopol are and will remain an integral part of Ukraine's sovereign territory. No trips by Russian public officials to the occupied peninsula, as well as illegal construction of the so-called Crimean Bridge, are not indicators of modifying the status of these Ukrainian administrative entities which is stipulated in the Ukrainian Constitution and recognized by the international community," the Foreign Ministry said.

The protest note was filed with the Russian Foreign Ministry in connection with Putin's visit to "the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol," the statement said.