Turkey not to recognize results of pseudo-referendums in Ukraine

Turkey did not recognize the results of a sham referendum in Crimea in 2014 and has the same clear position regarding the pseudo-referendums that Russia is conducting in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.

That's according to Turkish presidential spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin, CNN Türk reports.

"We do not find unilateral referendum attempts correct, as we did not recognize the Crimean referendum in 2014 and its result, and our position on such referendums is clear. We recognize the territorial integrity of the Ukrainian people and state, and we express that we stand with Ukraine," Kalin said.

He emphasized that Turkey is making sincere efforts to end the war.

As reported, in the wake of Ukraine's counteroffensive in eastern and southern Ukraine on September 20, the leaders of the "LPR/DPR" and collaborators in the Russian-occupied territories of Kherson and Zaporizhia regions rushed to announce "referenda on accession to Russia," scheduling them for September 23-27.

The leaders of Western powers have already declared that any Russian sham referenda in Ukraine would be deemed illegitimate. At the same time, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on September 21 that Russia would recognize their outcome.

Meanwhile, a survey run in August 2022 by Active Group shows that in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, the vast majority of respondents are sure that their region should be an integral part of Ukraine, and that their well-being and security have significantly deteriorated amid the occupation.

In particular, almost 73% of respondents consider Russia's territorial claims on their region to be completely unfounded. Also, 82% of respondents in the temporarily occupied areas of Ukraine said they would not go to polling stations if Russian puppet authorities resorted to holding a referendum.