When Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on the 30th local time that he would annex four Ukrainian-occupied territories into Russia, western international organizations and major countries condemned them.



The EU, NATO and major European powers have said they will never recognize annexation measures and will continue to support Ukraine to fight it.



Some have even introduced additional sanctions against Russia.



"We firmly reject and unequivocally condemn Russia's illegal annexation of Ukraine's Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporiza and Kherson provinces," the EU Council, made up of the heads of the 27 EU member states, said in a joint statement. I will not admit it."



EU leaders criticized Russia for jeopardizing international order and "endangering world security by blatantly violating Ukraine's fundamental rights to independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, which are core principles set forth in the UN Charter and international law."



He also mentioned that it would continue to provide military and financial aid to Ukraine, suggesting the possibility of further sanctions against Russia.



Enlarging an image


NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg also said that NATO allies would not recognize Russia's annexation of territory.



Stoltenberg said, "We will not go to war, but we will strengthen our support for Ukraine."



However, regarding Ukraine's application for expedited accession to NATO, he said, "New member membership is determined by agreement of the 30 existing members."



The G7 foreign ministers also issued a statement, criticizing Putin's attempts to annex territories as "blatant disregard for international law."



The G7 has said it will impose additional economic costs on Russia and on individuals and companies providing political and economic support for such violations of international law, both within and outside Russia.



The UK government has decided to impose additional sanctions on Russia, including freezing the assets in the UK and barring entry into the UK by the head of the Central Bank of Russia, Elvina Nabiulina.



Additional sanctions by the UK government include a ban on Russia from using UK services such as IT consulting, architecture, engineering, sales legal advice and audits.



Italy's next prime minister, Giorza Meloni, the head of the Italian Brothers, said Putin's signing of the annexation treaty had "no legal or political value".





(Photo = Getty Images Korea)