US calls Putin's referendum plan in Ukraine an 'utter contempt disdain' for United Nations

The United States on Tuesday termed Russian President Vladimir Putin's referendum plan in Russian-controlled regions of eastern and southern Ukraine an “utter contempt and disdain” for the United Nations. US State Secretary Antony Blinken, during a meeting with UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly on Tuesday, claimed that the Russian President has been making the plans for a referendum in four Ukrainian regions as well as mobilising more troops in the already war-torn country for several months. He added Putin wants to install a puppet leader in the seized Ukrainian regions.  

"Russia is now considering proceeding with the sham referenda in Ukraine – something we said that they were going to do for many months, having put – installed puppet representatives in the parts of Ukraine that they’ve seized, and now looking to proceed referenda that would be a sham and that would then lead to them claiming the annexation of Ukrainian territory," he said. 

Furthermore, he called Putin's decision to mobilise more troops in the Ukrainian region "an attempt to seize the country".

"Both of these things are happening this week as we’re at the United Nations shows his utter contempt and disdain for the United Nations, for the General Assembly, for the United Nations Charter," Blinked stressed. He made it clear if Russia purports to annex Ukrainian territory, the United States will never, never recognise the regions. 

Blinken praises the Ukrainian military for gaining strategic locations

Later, in the meeting, he went on to praise the Ukrainian forces who have recently liberated several regions from Russian troops.  It is worth mentioning in the past week, Ukrainian forces claimed they regained the southern region of Kherson, which was captured by Russian forces in the opening days of the Moscow-Kyiv war.

On September 10, Ukraine claimed it launched another, highly effective offensive in the northeast, near Kharkiv, resulting in the Russian forces fleeing the region leaving the arms and ammunition in the battleground. This prompted other top allies of Putin to speak against him. Even his closest ally, Ramzan Kadyrov, the Kremlin-appointed leader of Chechnya, questioned the Russian army over the recent advances claimed by the Ukrainian forces. 

Image: AP