Minded: Russia president Putin Ignores US & Europe; Signs Bill Making Crimea A Part Of Russia
According to Yahoo,
In an emotional 40-minute speech televised live from the Kremlin, Putin said "in people's hearts and minds, Crimea has always been an integral part of Russia."
The Russian leader insisted though that his nation has no intention to invade other regions of Ukraine, saying "we don't want a division of Ukraine, we don't need that."
Putin referred to Ukraine as a state born out of an illegal secession from the Soviet Union. He also argued that today's Ukraine includes "regions of Russia's historic south" and was created on a whim by the Bolsheviks.
The statement sounded as a clear warning to both the new Ukrainian government in Kiev and to the West to respect Russia's interests.
In response, Ukraine's new government called Putin a threat to the whole world and U.S. Vice President Joe Biden warned that the U.S. and Europe will impose further sanctions against Moscow.
"The world has seen through Russia's actions and has rejected the flawed logic," Biden said, meeting Tuesday with anxious European leaders in Poland.
"Today's statement by Putin showed in high relief what a real threat Russia is for the civilized world and international security," Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Evhen Perebinis said on Twitter. "(The annexation) has nothing to do with law or with democracy or sensible thinking."
