Russia will formalize the annexation of the four Ukrainian regions at a ceremony this Friday in the Kremlin, which has hosted the so-called “referendums”, which are considered “illegal” by several Western countries.
The confirmation was given this Thursday by the Kremlin spokesman. “Tomorrow, (…), at 3 pm (at 1 pm in Lisbon), there will be a ceremony to sign the decrees for the accession of new territories to the Russian Federation.” announced Dmitry Peskov, quoted by AFP, who also indicates that Russian President Vladimir Putin will deliver a speech at the event.
By the way, the separatist leaders of the self-declared People’s Republics of Donetsk and Lugansk, as well as those of the Kherson and Zaporijia regions are already in Moscow, where they plan to meet with Vladimir Putin.
Peskov told reporters that the leaders of the four regions — where the referenda ended Tuesday — will sign the treaties to join Russia at the Kremlin ceremony.
The announcement of this ceremony comes after “referendums” of annexation to Russia have been held in four regions of Ukraine, partly or wholly controlled by Moscow. This “consultation” took place until Tuesday in Donetsk and Lugansk, in the east, Kherson and Zaporizhia, in the south of the country.
Kiev and Western allies have called these “referendums” a “farce” and said they will not recognize the annexation of the territories as declared by the European Union. For example, the G7 countries said in a statement that they “will never recognize false referendums”.
European diplomatic chief Josep Borrell said on Wednesday that annexation referendums organized by Moscow in Ukrainian regions are illegal and the results have been manipulated.
“This is another violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, in the context of systematic human rights violations,” Borrell said in a message broadcast on the social network Twitter.
“We salute the courage of the Ukrainians who continue to resist and resist the Russian invasion,” added the European bloc’s head of diplomacy.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock joined other Western officials today to denounce the referenda.
“Under threats and sometimes even at gunpoint, people were taken from their homes or workplaces to vote in glass ballot boxes,” Annalena Baerbock told a conference in Berlin.
“This is the opposite of free and fair elections (…). This is the opposite of peace. It is dictated peace. As long as this Russian dictatorship prevails in the occupied territories of Ukraine, no citizen is safe. Free,” he said. the German minister.
Moscow-installed governments in Ukraine’s four southern and eastern regions claimed late Tuesday that 93 percent of the vote in the Zaporijia region supported annexation, as well as 87 percent in the Kherson region, 98 percent in the Lugansk region and 99% in Donetsk.
Ukraine also called the referenda illegal and said it had every right to retake the territories.
In 2014, Russia had already used the outcome of a referendum under military occupation to legitimize the annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula into the Black Sea.
with Lusa
Source: DN
