“Russia has 4 new regions”… Ukraine needs to stop military action and talk
“The West has no right to talk about democracy… The United States has set a precedent for the use of nuclear weapons.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the annexation of occupied territories in Ukraine and signed an agreement on the 30th (local time), saying that “Russia has four new regions”.
Putin said in a speech in the Kremlin today before signing the annexation agreement with the four territories occupied in Ukraine, stressing that “Russia will use all means to defend its territory,” according to Reuters and TASS news agency.
He pointed out that “the United States has set a precedent for using nuclear weapons twice on Japan,” he said, arguing that “the West has no right to talk about democracy.”
The newly merged regions are the Eastern Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), Lugansk (Ukrainian name Luhansk) People’s Republic (LPR), the southern region of Zaporiza and Kherson Oblast.
The area occupied by these territories is about 90,000 square kilometers, about 15% of the total territory of Ukraine and equal to the whole of Portugal.
These four regions decided to unite with Russia by referendum for five days on the 23rd and 27th with a vote of 87-99% in favor of each region.
Putin insisted that the request to annex the territories occupied by referendum “is in accordance with the right to self-determination guaranteed in the United Nations Charter.”
“As the will of the people of these communities becomes clear, I am confident that Congress will support their unification,” he added.
As for Ukraine, “Russia is not going back to the Soviet Union,” he said. “We are ready for dialogue.
We must immediately suspend our military action and return to the negotiating table. “
Putin devoted much of his speech to condemning the United States and the West.
“The West is leading a hybrid war against Russia,” he said.
“The Western elite are, as always, colonialists,” he said.
“Russian phobia is just racism,” he said.
In this regard, while the United States occupied Germany, Korea, and Japan, it was even forced to say that it was an equal relationship.
He also argued that sanctions against Russia are part of the US’s intention to control Europe.
“Forcing the US to give up Russian energy is de-industrializing Europe,” he said.
Regarding the recent damage to the Baltic gas pipeline and gas leak, he claimed that “Anglo-Saxon countries blew it up.”
President Putin approved the independence of the DPR and the LPR on February 21, followed by the independence of Zaporiza and Kherson on the 29th, completing all preparations for the unification.
After his speech, Putin signed the Territorial Annexation Agreement.
After that, legal procedures such as confirmation by the Senedd and the House of Representatives and the final signature of the President are expected to proceed.
Vyacheslav Volodin, chairman of the Russian House of Representatives (State Duma), said in a telegram that President Putin informed the Parliament about the plan to annex the four occupied territories in Ukraine.
Earlier, the Speaker of the Russian Parliament, Valentina Matviyenko, said that an official territorial annexation could be considered on the 4th of next month.
Ukraine and the West are calling the referendum a “fake ballot” and are pushing for additional sanctions against Russia.
/happy news
