Russia-Ukraine war latest: what we know on day 219 of the invasion
Vladimir Putin formalises annexation of four occupied regions of Ukraine; at least 25 people killed as Russian missiles hit civilian convoy
Vladimir Putin has signed accession treaties" formalising Russia's illegal annexation of four occupied regions in Ukraine, marking the largest forcible takeover of territory in Europe since the second world war. The signing ceremony, held in defiance of international law, took place in the Grand Kremlin Palace in the presence of the country's political elites, and comes on the heels of Kremlin-orchestrated fake referendums in the four Ukrainian regions - Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk and Donetsk.
Putin kicked off the ceremony with a lengthy, combative and angry speech in which the Russian leader issued new nuclear threats, promising to protect" the newly annexed lands with all the forces and means at our disposal".
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Russia would de jure" incorporate parts of Ukraine which are not under the control of Russian forces. Of the four regions, Luhansk and Kherson are the only territories that Russia is close to having total control over.
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said 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". A statement issued by the members of the European Council said We firmly reject and unequivocally condemn the illegal annexation."
The UN secretary general had warned Russia that annexing Ukrainian regions would mark a dangerous escalation" that would jeopardise the prospects for peace in the region. Antonio Guterres said any decision to proceed with the annexation of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions would have no legal value and deserves to be condemned".
US ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink has reiterated her country's opposition to Russia's planned annexations, saying Russia's sham referenda' were a spectacle, an effort to mask a further attempted land grab. We will never recognise Russia's purported annexation of Ukrainian territory."
British prime minister, Liz Truss, has said that the UK will never accept the Russian annexations, and accused Putin of acting in violation of international law with clear disregard for the lives of the Ukrainian people he claims to represent.
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