Istanbul not recognizing Russia's illegal annexation of four regions of Ukraine

The Turkish Foreign Ministry said this in a statement, Ukrinform reports.

"Turkey did not recognize Russia's annexation of Crimea at an illegitimate referendum held in 2014 and emphasized on every occasion its strong support for Ukraine's territorial integrity, independence and sovereignty. In line with this position we adopted in 2014, we reject the decision by Russia to annex Ukraine's Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions," the ministry said.

The statement also adds that Turkey cannot accept this decision, which is a gross violation of the established principles of international law.

"We reiterate our support for the resolution of the increasingly grave war on the basis of a just peace through negotiations," the document said.

On September 30, Putin signed a decree "recognizing the independence" of the Kherson and Zaporizhia regions. The "independence" of the "Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics" was recognized back in February, and the agreement on their "protection" served as a reason for the beginning of a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

On September 30, the Kremlin hosted a ceremony of "the incorporation into Russia" of the puppet entities "DPR" and "LPR", as well as the areas of Ukraine's Kherson and Zaporizhia regions captured by the Russian army.