The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation on Thursday has denounced “in the strongest terms” the plan to hold so-called referenda in several parts of Ukraine controlled by the Russian armed forces on their annexation to Russia.
Recalling that, “The Allies do not recognise and will never recognise the illegal and illegitimate annexation of Crimea by Russia,” NATO stressed in the statement that “sham referenda in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions of Ukraine have no legitimacy and will be a blatant violation of the UN Charter.”
Moreover, the organisation noted that, “NATO allies will not recognise their illegal and illegitimate annexation.”
NATO also reaffirmed its position on the partial mobilisation decreed by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Together with the referenda, the mobilisation is “a further escalation in Russia’s illegal war against Ukraine,” it said.
NATO mentioned that, “We continue to reject Russia’s irresponsible nuclear rhetoric.”
“Russia bears whole responsibility for the war. It must immediately end the war and withdraw from Ukraine,” the alliance noted.
NATO also reiterated that it remained committed to providing political and practical support to Ukraine.
A few days ago, the authorities installed by Moscow in four regions of Ukraine – Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson – announced the urgent holding on 23 and 27 September of annexation “referendums” by Russia.