Vladimir Putin’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has said the four Russian-occupied regions in Ukraine where referendums are under way would be under Moscow’s “full protection” if they are annexed by Russia.
Voting is taking place until Tuesday in the eastern Luhansk and Donetsk regions and Kherson and Zaporizhzhia in the south on whether they should join Russia.
Mr Lavrov was speaking in a news conference after addressing the United Nations General Assembly.
Asked if Russia would have grounds for using nuclear weapons to defend annexed regions of Ukraine, Mr Lavrov said Russian territory, including territory “further enshrined” in Russia’s constitution in the future, “is under the full protection of the state”.
“All of the laws, doctrines, concepts and strategies of the Russian Federation apply to all of its territory,” he said, also referring specifically to Russia’s doctrine on the use of nuclear weapons.
Ukraine and western nations have said they will not recognise the results of the votes.
Ukraine’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, said Russia’s statements on the possible use of nuclear weapons were “absolutely unacceptable” and Kyiv would not give into them.
“We call on all nuclear powers to speak out now and make it clear to Russia that such rhetoric puts the world at risk and will not be tolerated,” Mr Kuleba said.
Ukraine has requested an urgent UN Security Council meeting over the referendums, accusing Russia of violating the UN Charter by attempting to change Ukraine’s borders, foreign affairs ministry spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko said on Twitter.
Source: Sky News