Putin Says Annexation Is Forever, Defends Ukraine Land Grab
- Russian leader signs accession ‘treaties’ at Kremlin ceremony
- Ukraine battlefield advances may challenge Putin’s claim
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Vladimir Putin vowed his annexation of four occupied regions in Ukraine is irreversible, as the Russian president formalized Europe’s biggest land grab since World War II and accused the West of trying to subjugate his country.
“They will become our citizens forever,” he told officials in a Kremlin ceremony Friday before he and Moscow-installed leaders signed annexation documents. He demanded Ukraine stop fighting and begin talks, but refused to negotiate about the territories he’s absorbing. “We will use all means available to us to defend our lands,” he said.