“Russia has 4 new regions”… Ukraine needs to stop military action and talk
“The West has no right to speak of democracy… The United States has set a precedent for using nuclear weapons.”
Kremlin: “Putin visits occupied territories not immediately, but later… legal status of annexation area undecided”
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on the 30th (local time) the annexation of occupied territories in Ukraine and signed a treaty.
According to Archyde.com and TASS news agency, Putin made this announcement at the Kremlin on the same day at the signing ceremony for the annexation of the four occupied territories in Ukraine, emphasizing that “Russia will use all means to defend its territory”.
He pointed out that “the United States set a precedent for Japan’s use of nuclear weapons twice,” he said. “The West has no right to speak of democracy.”
The newly merged regions are the Eastern Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), Lugansk (Ukrainian name Luhansk) People’s Republic (LPR), the southern Zaporiza Oblast and Kherson Oblast.
The area occupied by these territories is about 90,000 square kilometers, about 15% of the total territory of Ukraine and equivalent to all of Portugal.
Putin insisted that the request for annexation of occupied territories through a referendum was “in accordance with the right to self-determination guaranteed in the UN Charter.”
As for Ukraine, “Russia is not going back to the Soviet Union,” he said. “We are ready for dialogue.
We must immediately stop 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, as always, are colonialists,” he said.
“The Russian phobia is just racism,” he said.
In this regard, while the US occupied Germany, Korea, and Japan, it was even forced to say that it was an equal relationship.
He also argued that sanctions against Russia were part of the US intention to control Europe.
“Forcing the US to give up Russian energy is deindustrializing Europe,” he said.
Regarding the recent Baltic gas pipeline damage and gas leak, it claimed that “Anglo-Saxon countries blew it up.”
After the signing of the territorial annexation treaty, legal procedures such as consent to ratification by the Senate and House of Representatives and the final signature of the president will proceed.
Earlier, Russian Senate Speaker Valentina Matvienko said an official territorial annexation could be considered on the 4th of next month.
Kremlin spokeswoman Dmitry Peskov said at a briefing about Putin’s plans to visit occupied territories, “There is a lot of work to be done.
Not right now,” he said. “I will definitely visit later.”
Regarding the legal status of newly merged areas such as republics, states, autonomous provinces, and autonomous regions, “I don’t know.
It is an issue that will be considered later.”
As to whether the annexed area is up to the administrative boundaries of the occupied territory or to the current military occupied territory, “confirmation is necessary.
It’s difficult to answer.”
Meanwhile, President Putin signed a presidential decree simplifying the acquisition of citizenship for foreigners and stateless persons who have served in the Russian military for more than one year or who have participated in military operations for more than six months.
Regardless of the period of service, those injured in battle can receive the same benefits.
After the recent mobilization order was issued in Russia, the former Soviet Union countries in Central Asia, including Ukraine, have warned against enlisting in the Russian military, saying that participating in overseas conflicts could result in criminal punishment.
/yunhap news