Preparations are underway in Moscow’s Red Square for a grand ceremony to make official Russia’s annexation of four Ukrainian regions.
A spokesman for Vladimir Putin said the Russian leader would sign the annexation documents in the Kremlin, followed by celebrations and a concert in Red Square.
US President Joe Biden has slammed Russia’s “so-called referendum” in Ukrainian territories saying there were a “shameless” effort by Russia to annex parts of Ukraine.
He said the United States would never recognise Russia’s claims to parts of the Ukraine.
UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres warned that any annexation of Ukrainian territory would have no legal value.
The so-called referendum has been denounced as a “sham” by many Western countries.
