Russia said on Tuesday (27) at the UN headquarters in New York that the referendums held in Ukrainian territories aimed at annexation by it were carried out “in a totally transparent manner and respecting all international norms”, in the words of the ambassador. of the country in the organization, Vasili Nebenzia.
He claimed that around 100 international observers from more than 40 countries followed the referendum and were “surprised by the enthusiasm of voters”, and wondered why the Western press had not shown this fact.
He recalled that in 2014 the people of Crimea held a similar referendum on annexation to Russia (also marred by allegations of wrongdoing and without recognition from the majority of the international community), “and its population has been living better since then.”
“We have invested a lot in the region, and we are going to do the same in Donbass,” he said.
He also criticized the “pressure” the European Union has allegedly exerted on Italy, Hungary and candidate countries to join the EU – he specifically mentioned Serbia – to distance themselves from Russia.
#Russia #referendums #Ukraine #transparent