The president of the European Commission has denounced Russia’s “illegal” annexation move, saying it “won’t change anything”.
“All territories illegally occupied by Russian invaders are Ukrainian land and will always be part of this sovereign nation,” Ursula von der Leyen tweeted.
The illegal annexation proclaimed by Putin won’t change anything.
All territories illegally occupied by Russian invaders are Ukrainian land and will always be part of this sovereign nation.
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) September 30, 2022
In a major speech on Friday, Mr Putin said Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia would be folded into Russia following a series of votes Kyiv and the West have denounced as illegal, sham referendums.
"This is the will of millions of people," he said in a speech before hundreds of dignitaries in the St George's Hall of the Kremlin.
"People have made their choice at referendums in Ukraine's territories," he said.
