The Kremlin press service said Putin and Dzhemilev, who is broadly viewed as the leader of the Crimean Tatars national movement, “had a long telephone conversation.”

Mentimer Shaimiyev later described the conversation between Putin and Dzhemilev as “a long and fruitful one.”

“Quite naturally, Mustafa-bei has his own position because he is an active-duty member of the Rada, he is concerned about the integrity of Ukraine and about what’s going to happen after the referendum (on the state sovereignty of Crimea, which is scheduled for next Sunday – Itar-Tass),” he said.