JRL NEWSWATCH: “Kremlin says Putin to proclaim rule over seized Ukrainian land” – Reuters
“… Putin will sign documents … Friday proclaiming Russia’s annexation of four Ukrainian regions … rush[ing] to lock in territorial claims that the Ukrainian army is threatening to reverse on the battlefield. The move, one of the legal steps Russia says will lead to formal annexation of 15% of Ukraine’s territory, confirms that Putin is doubling down … despite suffering a major military reversal …. The annexation, after what Kyiv and Western countries say were phoney referendums staged at gunpoint on Russian-held Ukrainian territory, has been rejected in the West as an illegal seizure of land captured in war. …
The United States has unveiled a $1.1 billion weapons package for Ukraine that includes 18 … HIMARS[] launchers, accompanying munitions, … counter drone systems and radar …. bring[ing] … U.S. security aid to $16.2 billion.
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