Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has officially announced the take-over of four regions of Ukraine, OduNews reports.
The official annexation of the four territories is the largest forcible takeover of territory in Europe since the second world war.
Putin signed the “accession treaties” in the Grand Kremlin Palace in the presence of the country’s political elites.
Putin kicked off the ceremony with a lengthy, combative and angry speech in which the Russian leader issued new nuclear threats, promising to “protect” the newly annexed lands “with all the forces and means at our disposal”.
“The people have made their choice. An unequivocal choice … This is the will of millions of people,” Putin said, adding that the citizens of the four occupied regions will be part of Russia “for ever”.
Shortly after, Putin signed the “accession treaties” on a podium alongside the Russian-installed heads of Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Donetsk and Luhansk.
Ukraine and its western allies have previously said they would never recognise Russia’s claims on Ukraine’s territory, while the UN secretary general, António Guterres, said on Thursday evening that the annexation “has no legal value and deserves to be condemned”.
The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, on Friday said that Russia’s “illegal annexation proclaimed by Putin won’t change anything”.
“All territories illegally occupied by Russian invaders are Ukrainian land and will always be part of this sovereign nation,” she added.
“I urge the Kyiv regime to stop all hostilities, stop the war … and sit down for negotiations,” Putin said in his speech on Friday.
Kyiv has indicated it will fight to reclaim all of its lands. Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, promised a strong response to the annexations and has convened an emergency meeting with his defence and security chiefs.
A pop concert will be held in Moscow on Friday evening in Red Square, where a stage has been constructed with giant electronic billboards proclaiming “Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson – Russia!”
It was not immediately clear whether Putin would attend the concert, as he did a similar event in 2014 after Russia annexed Crimea.
Kyiv has indicated it will fight to reclaim all of its lands. Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, promised a strong response to the annexations and has convened an emergency meeting with his defence and security chiefs.
A pop concert will be held in Moscow on Friday evening in Red Square, where a stage has been constructed with giant electronic billboards proclaiming “Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson – Russia!”
It was not immediately clear whether Putin would attend the concert, as he did a similar event in 2014 after Russia annexed Crimea.
Kyiv has indicated it will fight to reclaim all of its lands. Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, promised a strong response to the annexations and has convened an emergency meeting with his defence and security chiefs.
A pop concert will be held in Moscow on Friday evening in Red Square, where a stage has been constructed with giant electronic billboards proclaiming “Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson – Russia!”
It was not immediately clear whether Putin would attend the concert, as he did a similar event in 2014 after Russia annexed Crimea.
