New appeal of Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the international community. The Ukrainian president on Friday called on the rest of the world to condemn the “pseudo-referendums” orchestrated by Russia in the four territories it has conquered in Ukraine since its invasion.
In his daily address to the nation, Mr. Zelensky said he was convinced that “the world will respond with the greatest justice to pseudo-referendums” and that they “will be unreservedly condemned.”
Echoing him, President Joe Biden warned Russia that the United States “will work with (our) allies and partners to bring swift and severe additional economic action against Russia” if it annexes territory in Ukraine.
“Do everything to save your life and help liberate Ukraine”
“The Russian referendums are a sham, a false pretext for trying to annex parts of Ukraine by force,” the US president, who has repeatedly imposed economic and financial sanctions against the regime of Vladimir Putin, condemned in a press release.
In a joint statement, the G7 countries (Germany, Canada, the US, France, Italy, Japan and the UK) called for “all countries to unequivocally reject these bogus referendums”, “bogus” ones that “have neither legal force nor legitimacy”.
Volodymyr Zelensky also on this occasion called on all Ukrainians who found themselves in the Russian-occupied territories to “go underground to avoid Russian mobilization”, and if they cannot avoid this, “sabotage any activity of the enemy.” “Obstruct any Russian operation, provide us with any important information about the occupiers – their bases, their headquarters, their ammunition depots. And at the first opportunity to switch to our positions. Do everything to save your life and help liberate Ukraine. »