Russian officials say Friday afternoon will witness President Vladimir Putin incorporating areas of eastern and southern Ukraine, into Russia, and add, agreements on the accession of new territories into the Russian Federation will be signed at the Kremlin.
“Agreements will be signed with all four territories that held referendums and made corresponding requests to the Russian side,” said Russian presidential spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov.
Peskov adds, President Putin is scheduled to give a major speech following the signing of agreements and will meet with Moscow-appointed administrators of the incorporated Ukrainian regions, adding, “this is part of a process in which Putin would separately address the Russian parliament at a later stage.”
In response to Russian attempts to take over Ukrainian regions, Kyiv’s officials and western partners say they reject “the hastily arranged votes held in the occupied Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhizhia and Kherson regions” which were held seven months after the commencement of Russia’s “special military operation.”
Ukrainian officials further described Russia's take over attempts as an “illegitimate sham conducted at gunpoint.”
