On Wednesday, the Kremlin said there were no contradictions between annexing Ukrainian territories to Russia and withdrawing troops, saying Moscow would go ahead with plans to annex four Ukrainian regions: Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk and Donetsk, Reuters reported.
“They will be with Russia forever and will not return,” Kremlin press secretary Dmytro Peskov told reporters.
President Vladimir Putin formalized the annexation of four Ukrainian regions on Wednesday, despite major upheaval on the battlefield in recent days that has seen the territory under Moscow’s control shrink.
The annexation concerns the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, which make up about 18% of the internationally recognized territory of Ukraine.
Putin signed the annexation decrees after holding what he called referendums in the occupied territories of Ukraine, which were opposed by the entire international community.
Putin’s promulgation of the laws completes the final stage of the annexation process based on the Russian legal system. The annexation is illegal under international law, and Western governments have made it clear they do not recognize these regions as Russian territory.
At the same time, the exact borders that Russia is trying to establish inside Ukraine by annexing four territories still remain unclear.
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Source: Hot News RU
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