Medvedev: Syria, Ukraine and the economic crisis – an exclusive interview

[Little Tich]

4. It was a sham election made at gunpoint, and declared illegitimate by the rest of the world...

From Wikipedia:
Crimean status referendum, 2014
(snip)

The referendum was regarded as illegitimate by most countries including all European Union members, the United States and Canada because of the events surrounding it including the plebiscite being held while the peninsula was occupied by Russian soldiers.[8] Thirteen members of the United Nations Security Council voted in favor of a resolution declaring the referendum invalid, but Russia vetoed it and China abstained. A United Nations General Assembly resolution was later adopted, by a vote of 100 in favor vs. 11 against with 58 abstentions, which declared the referendum invalid and affirmed Ukraine's territorial integrity. The Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People called for a boycott of the referendum.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimean_status_referendum,_2014

Unfortunately, Russia's relations with the West will remain rocky until Crimea is given back to Ukraine. It's also possible that it will take some time.