On Friday Vladimir Putin could make a relevant announcement before the Federal Assembly
Russia says it remains ready to negotiate with Ukraine, but the process to legalize the ‘theft’ of territories continues. The last of the five days of voting in the ‘pseudo-referendums’ for incorporation into Russia began on Tuesday in the territories controlled by the Russian Army in the east and south of Ukraine. The “provisional results” will be announced by the electoral commissions created by Moscow in each of these territories tonight or in the following days.
In Moscow, the legislative machinery is preparing to validate the annexation. The Russian press agencies TASS and Ria Novosti indicated over the weekend, citing parliamentary sources, that a bill to that effect could be presented to the lower house today, Tuesday night, with a view to adoption the following day in a session extraordinary.
Vladimir Putin’s key speech before the Federal Assembly could happen on Friday, reports RIA Novosti, citing a source in parliament. That day there will be a “protocol event”, whose level of organization indicates the presence of the Russian president. According to the TASS agency, the senators have already received the order to undergo three anti-Covid tests in anticipation of an “important event” on Friday the 30th, a health measure to which those who meet with the president in the Kremlin must comply. Also, according to the Russian constitution, the president is obliged to address the Federal Assembly once a year. In recent years, the speech has occurred at the beginning of the year. In February, a week before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Putin announced that he was working on a speech, but the event was never scheduled.
Little else is known, but everything indicates that the appointment will be to sign the annexation of the territories that these days have voted their secession from Ukraine and annexation to Russia. It could be accompanied by some more announcement.
KEEP UP APPEARANCES
Today the ongoing referendums end. Moscow wants to keep the appearance of a legitimate process, although kyiv, Western countries and many observers consider the referendums in the four Russian-controlled areas in eastern and southern Ukraine a “farce” and denounce manipulation.
Moscow has already announced that it will not delay the annexation of these territories. “I am convinced that this will be quite fast”said the spokesman for the Russian Presidency Dimitri Peskov. The process is almost complete despite the fact that in February, when Putin announced the “special operation”, he spoke of the absence of plans to occupy Ukrainian territory.
Tomorrow the bills to accept the entry into the Russian Federation of the now independent republics of Donetsk and Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia pass to the State Duma. On Thursday, the legislature approves the bills. And already on Friday Russian President Vladimir Putin will speak to the Federal Assembly announcing the promulgation of the new legislation, and giving several directives. It could be the state of war. Some nuclear warning to the US or Ukraine. Or new measures restricting movements or freedoms.
TRADE AGAIN
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan planned to hold talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin as well as Ukrainian leader Volodimir Zelensky.
“The president said that Russia, of course, remains willing to negotiate. But, as things change, conditions also change, something we have repeatedly said. In general, the principle remains the same: all the objectives of a special military operationPeskov said at a news conference.
Moscow and kyiv held several rounds of negotiations to reach an agreement that would put an end to the special military operation that Russia has continued since February 24. The last one took place on March 29 in the Turkish city of Istanbul behind closed doors.
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George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism