Kyiv, Oct 5: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday signed laws absorbing four Ukrainian regions into Russia, a move that finalises the annexation carried out in defiance of international law.

Earlier this week, both houses of the Russian parliament ratified treaties making the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions part of Russia. Russia-Ukraine Conflict: Volodymyr Zelenskyy Says ‘Will Not Conduct Negotiations With Vladimir Putin’ in Response to PM Narendra Modi’s Call for Peace.

The formalities followed Kremlin-orchestrated “referendums” in the four regions that Ukraine and the West have rejected as a sham.