Highlights of Putin’s speech during the signing ceremony of the accession of 4 regions to Russia

On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree annexing the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporizhia and Kherson to Russia.

In a speech at the Kremlin headquarters during the signing ceremony, Putin said that the citizens of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporozhye and Kherson made an “unequivocal choice” to join Russia in order to protect their rights.