Putin knows negotiations will be impossible after sham referendums – Zelenskyy
KATERYNA TYSHSHENKO -- SUNDAY, 25 SEPTEMBER 2022, 21:50 President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine said that negotiation with President of Russia Vladimir Putin will be impossible after the sham "referendums" have been conducted on the occupied territories of Ukraine. Source: Zelenskyy, in the interview with CBS News
Quote: "The Russian government can officially announce that the referendum has been completed, and the results will be announced.
This would make it impossible, in any case, to continue any diplomatic negotiations with the President of the Russian Federation, and he knows it very well. I have spoken about it publicly. I think it's a very dangerous signal from President Putin that tells us that he is not going to end this war."
Details: Zelenskyy has pointed out that occupiers force residents of the occupied areas to come and participate in the sham referendums. Occupiers "can turn off the electricity and deprive them [those who don't come - ed.] of the possibility to live normal lives".
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In addition, President Zelenskyy reminded listeners that mobilisation has been announced in the Russian Federation, and people from occupied territories of Ukraine will be forced to fight on Russia's side.
Previously: On 7 August, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that if Russia held its sham referendums in the occupied territories of southern Ukraine, it would foreclose the possibility of future negotiations with Ukraine.
Background:
- The Kremlin-appointed authorities in occupied parts of Donetsk, Luhansk and Kherson oblasts and the city of Melitopol (Zaporizhzhia Oblast) announced on 23 September that they had started referendums on merging the captured territories with Russia.
- The Office of the President of Ukraine assured Russia and its accomplices in the occupied territories of Ukraine that sham referendums will not let the occupiers legalise the seizure of Ukrainian lands.
- According to propagandist media owned by the occupiers, Russia can claim to have "annexed" occupied areas of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts on September 30.
- Ukraine requested an urgent session of the UN Security Council due to Russia holding sham referendums on the occupied territories.
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