Ukraine war: Russia illegally annexes four regions in east Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed treaties on Friday to illegally annex more occupied Ukrainian territory in a sharp escalation of his seven-month invasion.
Putin said the four Ukrainian regions - Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia - are now "Russian forever".
In a rhetoric-filled speech, Putin vowed to protect the newly annexed areas of Ukraine by “all available means," a nuclear-backed threat at a Kremlin signing ceremony where he also railed furiously at the West, accusing them of seeking Russia's destruction.
While Putin urged Ukraine to sit down for peace talks he also insisted he won’t discuss handing back occupied regions.
In response, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said there'd be no negotiations with Putin.
“We are ready for a dialogue with Russia, but … with another president of Russia," he said.
Friday afternoon's ceremony took place in the Kremlin's ornate St George's Hall, where President Putin accused the West of fueling the hostilities as part of what he said is a plan to turn Russia into a “colony” and a “crowds of slaves.” The hardening of his position, in the conflict that that has killed and wounded tens of thousands of people, further cranked up tensions, already at levels unseen since the Cold War.
Later, in the Russian capital's famous Red Square, Vladimir Putin addressed a crowd of people, many waving Russian flags.
"Russia does not only open the door to our brothers and sisters but it also opens its heart to them. Welcome home," Putin said, echoing the speech announcing the annexation of the occupied Ukrainian land.
In a short address, Putin spoke with four occupation officials standing by his side, ending his words praising those fighting in Ukraine with a series of hurrahs.
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