News - World: Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree for the formal accession of four regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia to the Russian Federation, a move Kiev has decried as wholly illegal.

Presiding over a signing ceremony with the Russian-installed heads of the four regions in the Kremlin on Friday, Putin announced that people in these regions are now considered Russian citizens as they have made their choice in referendums.

The Russian leader stressed that Ukraine has to respect the will of the people, vowing to defend the Russian land with all means.

The development came after people in the four regions voted in favor of joining the Russian Federation in a referendum.

However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the hastily organized votes breached international law and called the referendums “worthless.”

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also depicted Russia’s accession as “a dangerous escalation,” while US President Joe Biden said Washington will never recognize Russia’s accession of Ukrainian territory.

Putin: Russia ‘not striving’ for return of Soviet Union

Putin also said on Friday that Russia was “not striving” to recreate the Soviet Union, an accusation repeatedly leveled against the Russian leader by Western powers.

“The USSR is no more. We can’t bring the past back. And Russia doesn’t need it anymore. We are not striving towards that,” he said.

Putin once famously said that anyone who didn’t regret the passing of the Soviet Union had no heart, but anyone who wanted it restored had no brain.

Prior to the accession, the Russian president had notified the parliament about the measure, the head of Russia’s lower chamber of parliament Vyacheslav Volodin said on Friday.

Volodin confirmed on the State Duma’s official Telegram channel that Putin had informed the parliament of official requests by the regions.

Source: Press TV