(MENAFN) As people consider whether they would like to formally join Russia, referendums are currently taking place in Donbass and two other regions of eastern Ukraine. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has denounced these processes.
The Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics, which are already recognized by Moscow, as well as the Ukrainian provinces of Kherson and Zaporozhye are all scheduled to hold elections in the coming days. Stoltenberg stressed that Russia will exploit these "fake" elections "to further intensify the war."
He also highlighted that they would have “no legitimacy and of course they don't change anything.”
“Our answer, NATO's answer, is to step up support,” he informed a news agency in an interview on Friday, noting “The best way to end this war is to strengthen the Ukrainians on the battlefield further so they can, at some stage, sit down and reach a solution which is acceptable for Ukraine and that preserves Ukraine as a sovereign, independent nation in Europe.”
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