THE HAGUE - Ministers Wopke Hoekstra of Foreign Affairs and Kajsa Ollongren of Defense condemned Russia’s proposed annexation of Ukrainian territory. “It is completely illegal and goes beyond all limits,” said Hoekstra. “We can’t help but condemn this in the strongest terms.” 

On Friday, Russia will annex the occupied Ukrainian regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhya. Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold a special ceremony at the Kremlin at 3 p.m. (local time). He will also deliver a speech during the event. 

Leaders appointed by Russia to take charge of the occupied regions will attend the ceremony on Friday to sign the agreement with Russia. They indicated their intent to join the Russian Federation on Wednesday after the results of referendums showed voters were heavily in favor of becoming a part of Russia. Some 99 percent of the vote count in Donetsk showed support for the change, the highest total of the four. Some 87 percent were in favor in Kherson, the lowest percentage of the four regions. 

Ukraine and Western allies have characterized the referendums as shams with a predetermined outcome. Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenskyy has repeatedly said that the referendums are illegal and unauthorized and said that Ukraine would respond harshly. He has convened his country’s top defense and security officials for an emergency meeting on Friday. Putin threatened to use nuclear weapons if Ukraine attacked Russian territory. 

Hoekstra called the referendums a “further escalation” and the nuclear threat “completely inappropriate.” Ollongren said she is “not impressed” by the referendums. “No normal country in the world will recognize this. It’s a show.” It, therefore, doesn’t change anything with regard to the use of Dutch weapons in the annexed regions as NATO still considers them Ukrainian, she said. 

According to the Dutch Ministers, the Netherlands’ commitment remains the same: undiminished support and further supply of weapons. Neither would say what kind of weapons are involved. Ukraine has asked for more armored howitzers, among other things. 

A concert will be held on Friday in Moscow’s Red Square to celebrate the incorporation of the four regions. In 2014 there was a similar concert after the annexation of Crimea. Putin was also present.