Mayor Yury Luzhkov attended the birthday party of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych near Kiev on Friday, making his first visit to the country after a ban prohibiting him from entering Ukraine was lifted, Lifenews.ru reported.
Luzhkov was blacklisted in 2008 for saying that the city of Sevastopol, which belongs to Ukraine but hosts the Russian Black Sea Fleet, should be returned to Russia.
Yanukovych personally informed the mayor of the ban’s removal in June. Luzhkov made no political statements Friday, but sang a song in Ukrainian together with crooner Iosif Kobzon to congratulate Yanukovych, who turned 60.
(MT)
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