Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to begin formally annexing 15 per cent of Ukrainian territory on Friday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday, presiding over a ceremony to add four Ukrainian regions to Russia.

The move comes after referendums were held in the Russian-controlled regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, votes that international allies of Ukraine have repeatedly called "shams" and stressed they would not recognize as legitimate.

In response to the moves, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Defence Minister Anita Anand each slammed the planned move by Putin, with Trudeau saying additional stronger sanctions would be announced shortly. U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price also said additional measures were coming, with UN Secretary Antonio Guterres and European Union President Ursula von der Leyen also promising responses.

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