The White House on Tuesday accused Russia of “seeking to annex Ukrainian territory” it has seized in recent months, stressing that Moscow is using the same “method” it used when it annexed Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula in 2014.
“The Russian government has detailed plans to annex a number of regions in Ukraine, including Kherson, Zaporozhye and all of Donetsk and Luhansk regions,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters.
He added that Moscow’s representatives in these regions “They will organize fake polls About joining Russia…maybe in September during the Russian local elections.”
Russian army in Melitopol in southern Ukraine
Kirby stressed that Russia is also working to establish Russian banks in these regions to popularize the use of the ruble in them and “force the population to apply for Russian citizenship” and “impose their followers in the security services” and at the same time “sabotage the civilian Internet.”
And reminded the spokesman of the US National Security Council that the annexation of territories by force “violates the Charter of the United Nations”, vowed to “impose new sanctions once morest Russia” if it goes ahead with this plan. “Moscow will become more pariah than it is today,” he added.
In another context, Kirby said that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Iran This week, she illustrates how isolated Russia has become in the wake of its military operation in Ukraine.
Erdogan, President and Putin in Tehran on Tuesday
Putin held talks with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Iran on Tuesday, the first visit by a Russian president outside the former Soviet Union since the start of Russia’s military operation in Ukraine on Feb. 24.
The United States said last week that it had information that Iran was preparing to supply Russia with up to several hundred drones, including those capable of carrying weapons, and that Tehran was preparing to train Russian forces in their use. The Iranian foreign minister denied this.
Kirby said Tuesday that there is still no evidence of aIran has supplied Russia with drones Already.
At the same time, Kirby said that in the next few days the United States will announce a new arms package for Ukraine.
The package is expected to include US mobile rocket launchers, known as HIMARs, shells for multiple launch rocket systems, as well as artillery munitions.
