Russian President Vladimir Putin signed into law the annexation of the four eastern regions of Ukraine nearly a week after he held a ceremony to announce the move.
Putin signed laws passed by the two houses of the country’s parliament recognizing Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia as part of Russia. President Joe Biden has decried Putin’s move to annex the regions, calling them “Ukraine’s sovereign territory.”
UKRAINE EMERGING AS MAJOR MILITARY POWER BETWEEN NATO AND RUSSIA
The move comes as Ukraine has taken back more land in the Russian-occupied Donetsk region, despite Putin’s claims.
In response to Putin’s move to annex the eastern regions, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky requested an accelerated application for joining NATO.
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The move was supported by nine European NATO countries, but the White House said the matter “should be taken up at a different time.” The United States announced an additional $625 million in military aid to Ukraine on Tuesday.
