In a grand ceremony held in Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the documentation for annexing four regions of Ukraine along with the four pro-Russian leaders from the region.
In the St. George’s Hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace, a place where he had previously declared Cremia to be part of Russia in 2014, Putin announced the “official” annexation of four regions of Ukraine—Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and the Zaporizhzhia region—in a grand ceremony filled with pro-Russian leaders.
The ceremony was attended by Moscow-appointed representatives of the four regions—Volodymyr Saldo from Kherson, Yevhen Vitaliiovych Balytskyi from Zaporizhzhia, Denis Pushilin from Donetsk, and Leonid Pasechnik from Luhansk.
This is the largest annexation of territory in post-World War II Europe, with Russia now controlling 15% of the Ukrainian territory. This comes amidst Russian losses in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine, where Russian forces were driven out after facing defeat at the hands of Ukrainian forces.
Soon after the ceremony, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that his country would submit a formal application to NATO. In a video posted online, the Ukrainian President said, “We are taking our decisive step by signing Ukraine’s application for accelerated accession to NATO.” A “fast-track” application for NATO membership has been signed by the Ukrainian President.
The ceremony of annexation comes after Putin had earlier announced the referendum to be held in these regions and the “partial mobilization” of the Russian troops.
The president of the United States, Joe Biden, had previously criticized Russia’s referendums, declared that Washington would never accept Moscow’s territorial claims against Ukraine, and dismissed them by saying, “The results were manufactured in Moscow.”
For Ukraine to become a member of NATO, it has to get unanimous support from all the current members, which will result in it getting the valuable support of the military alliance headed by the United States. While joining the alliance has been a long-term goal of Ukraine, it has suffered many hurdles during its efforts.
At the grand ceremony, Putin vowed to use “all available means” to defend the four regions he was annexing.
In his speech, he said, “This is the will of millions of people” and “they made their choice to be with their people, to be with their motherland,” referring to Ukrainians in the occupied territories.
Following the address, pro-Russian officials from Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia signed official paperwork formally recognizing their status as Russian territories while chanting “Russia! Russia!”
The annexation has been heavily criticized by many countries around the world, with vocal opposition from the EU chief, Ursula von der Leyen, the UN General Secretary Antonio Guterres, and US President Joe Biden.
Condemnation against annexation by Russian
President Joe Biden issued a statement saying, “The United States condemns Russia’s dishonest attempt to seize sovereign Ukrainian territory today.” “Russia is violating international law, trampling on the United Nations Charter, and showing its contempt for peaceful nations everywhere.”
UN General Secretary Antonio Guterres called Russian plans to annex Ukrainian territories “an illegal violation of the U.N. charter.”
Hours after the annexation ceremony, the United States imposed sanctions on over 1,000 Russian individuals and organizations in connection with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, including Russia’s Central Bank governor as well as the families of National Security Council members.
President Joe Biden also said, “Make no mistake: These actions have no legitimacy,” and the new financial penalties will impose costs on people and companies inside and outside of Russia “that provide political or economic support to illegal attempts to change the status of Ukrainian territory.”
The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has called the Russian annexation of four Ukrainian regions illegal and said that occupied land would remain part of Ukraine.
Ursula von der Leyen said in a tweet that nothing will change as a result of Putin’s illegitimate annexation declaration.
The criticism of Russian annexation continues to pour in hours after the Russian President held a ceremony to sign documentation regarding the same, which has been rejected as against international law.
This annexation gives Russia 15% of Ukrainian territory, and how this affects the war’s future development remains to be seen, as the Ukrainian President has ruled out the possibility of peaceful negotiations following Russia’s action.
