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New Russian regions not going back to Ukraine, end of story — Putin

"The people of the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions expressed their position in referendums," the Russian president reiterated

MOSCOW, June 14. /TASS/. People in the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republic as well as the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions voted to become part of Russia, so this issue is closed, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting at the Foreign Ministry.

"The people of the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions expressed their position in referendums. The Kherson and the Zaporozhye regions as well as the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics joined the Russian Federation, and our sovereign integrity cannot be violated," Putin said, adding that this issue was not up for debate.

According to Putin, the Ukraine crisis was triggered by the West which he said was "doing everything to protract the conflict forever, weakening and pitting the peoples of Russia and Ukraine against each other." "They have been sending more munitions and weapons, and some European politicians have been mulling sending their regular troops to Ukraine," the Russian leader concurred.

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Vladimir Putin Russia's domestic policy

Anti-Russian sanctions

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