The UN Secretariat has come to the conclusion that the principle of self-determination does not apply to Crimea and Donbass, United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres said at a press conference. "After a very careful study by our Office of Legal Affairs, it is our position that the principle of self-determination does not apply in the situations of Crimea and Donbass. So in that situation, the principle that prevails is the principle of territorial integrity," he noted in response to a TASS question. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov pointed out earlier that Crimea, Donbass and Novorossiya had reunited with Russia through referendums based on the principles approved by the UN General Assembly. Crimea and the city of Sevastopol reunited with Russia following a March 2014 referendum.