Putin declared his country is now stronger with the annexation of Crimea. "I am sure that 2014 will go into the annals of our whole country as the year when the nations living here firmly decided to be together with Russia, affirming fidelity to the historical truth and the memory of our ancestors,'' Putin was quoted as saying during a speech in the port city of Sevastopol.
"There is a lot of work ahead but we will overcome all difficulties because we are together, which means we have become stronger," the Russian leader said during his remarks to military leaders and other officials.
The Kyiv government immediately condemned Putin's visit as a violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and international law. The March 21st annexation of Crimea is not recognized by the United States, the European Union and NATO.
The Obama administration criticized the trip as provocative and repeated its rejection of the region's annexation. The European Union also weighed in, saying the commemoration of victory in World War II shoud not be used to showcase Russia's annexation of the region.
Putin arrived was treated like a hero upon his arrival in Sevastopol, where Russia's Black Sea Fleet is based. Earlier in the day, he watched as thousands of Russian troops marched through Moscow to mark Victory Day, the 69th anniversary of the end of World War II.
Putin made no mention of the situation in Ukraine during public remarks in Moscow. Both the Sevatopol and Russian anniversaries fall on May 9.
Later in the day, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in a telephone conversation with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called for urgent dialogue, mediated by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, between Kiev and south-eastern regions of Ukraine.
Lavrov also called for Washington to help end Ukrainian military operations in the south-east of the country.
VOA
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