U.S. Mobilizes Allies To Reject Russian Attempts To Annex Territory In Ukraine

The U.S. and its allies are mobilizing the international community to reject Putin's attempts to annex territory in Ukraine, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.

"We are prepared and we will impose additional severe and swift costs on Russia for proceeding with the annexations," Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters on Tuesday at a joint press appearance with India's External Affairs Minister Jaishankar.

He said that the U.S. could not agree more with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he told Vladimir Putin that "this is not an era of war".

"Unfortunately, tragically, President Putin pursued his aggression, nonetheless." he said, adding that now not only the Ukrainian people, but also the world are reaping the consequences.

“We and many other countries have already been crystal clear. We will not - indeed, we will never - recognise the annexation of Ukrainian territory by Russia,” the Secretary said.

"It’s important to remember what’s going on here," Blinken added: "Russia invaded Ukraine, seized territory, and is engaged in a diabolical scheme on some of the territory seized, where it has moved the local populous out, often through these filtration centers..."

Some people are deported and others “simply disappear,” Blinken said. “Then they bus Russians in, they install puppet governments and they engage in the referendum and manipulate, in any event, the outcome to then claim that the territory belongs to Russia.”

Blinken vowed that Ukrainians would be able to use weapons provided by the United States to regain its territory, including in the regions that are expected to be annexed by Russia soon.

“I’ve also been equally clear that Ukraine has the absolute right to defend itself throughout its territory, including to take back the territory that has been illegally seized in one way or another by Russia, he said,

The Secretary added that the US will “never” recognize the four regions that Putin may annex following the sham referendums being held in those regions.

“Because there is no change at all in the territory that is being annexed by the Russians as a matter for us or for the Ukrainians, the Ukrainians will continue to do what they need to do to get back the land that has been taken from them. We will continue to support them in that effort,” Blinken said.

Alex Raufoglu

Washington D.C.