Turkey rejects Russia's annexation of Ukrainian regions

Turkey rejected Russia's annexation of four regions in Ukraine, saying the decision was a "grave violation" of international law, its foreign ministry announced in a statement on Saturday.

"This decision, which constitutes a grave violation of the established principles of international law, cannot be accepted," the ministry said, reminding that Turkey had not recognized Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014 either. 

"We reiterate our support to the resolution of this war, the severity of which keeps growing, based on a just peace that will be reached through negotiations," the statement added.

Russia has annexed on Friday Ukraine’s Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, after annexation referendua were held in the four oblasts between 23 and 27 September.

Tukey’s President Tayyip Erdogan had also voiced displeasure over the referanda and called on his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to give negotiations with Ukraine another chance.

Turkey has been conducting a balancing policy between Russia and Ukraine since the eruption of war. Ankara opposes Western sanctions on Russia and has close ties with both Moscow and Kyiv, its Black Sea neighbours.

Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy responded to the act on Friday by submitting a fast-track application to join the NATO military alliance, saying he would not hold peace talks with Russia while Putin was still president.