Turkey refuses to recognise Russia's annexation of Ukraine's occupied regions amid war

Ankara will not recognize the decision of Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics, along with Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions to accede to the Federation of Russia, said the Foreign Ministry of Turkey in a statement on 30 September. According to Turkey, decision made by the two Donbas republics “constitutes a grave violation of the established principles of international law.”  

Turkey further reiterated that the government did not support Russia’s invasion of Crimea in 2014, nor did it recognise Crimea’s subsequent annexation by Russia in “an illegitimate referendum.”  

Ankara emphasizes strong support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity  

Furthermore, Ankara has emphasized its strong backing to Ukraine’s independence, territorial integrity, and sovereignty in accordance with the stance that Turkey adopted in 2014, stated the press release. Ankara also raised concerns regarding the raging war between Russia and Ukraine, as it reiterated the idea of reaching a peaceful conclusion to the war through negotiations.

“In accordance with this stance adopted in 2014, we reject Russia’s decision to annex the Donetsk, Luhansk, Herson (Kherson) and Zaphorizhia (Zaporizhzhia) regions of Ukraine. This decision, which constitutes a grave violation of the established principles of international law, cannot be accepted. We reiterate our support to the resolution of this war, the severity of which keeps growing, based on a just peace that will be reached through negotiations," the press release read.  

Putin signs treaties on the accession of four Ukrainian regions  

The referendums in the Donetsk People’s Republic, Luhansk People’s Republic, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson were held from September 23 to September 27. Often dubbed as a ‘sham’ and ‘farce’ by NATO as well as the EU, the referendums, according to Russian officials resulted in the majority of voters opting to accede to Russia.  

Subsequently, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin announced on Friday that the heads of the four regions had signed treaties on their accession to Russia.  

According to a statement by the website of Russia’s President, a ceremony for signing the treaties on the accession of the Ukrainian regions to the Russian Federation was organized at the Grand Kremlin Palace’s St George Hall on Friday. The statement further stated that “The people have made their unequivocal choice” of acceding to the Federation of Russia.