Ukraine crisis: Putin signs Russia-Crimea treaty

President Vladimir Putin and the leaders of Crimea have signed /saɪnd/ a /də/ bill to absorb the peninsula into Russia.

Mr Putin told /təʊld/ parliament Crimea had / həd/ "always /’dɔ:lweɪz/ been part of Russia" and he had / həd/ corrected /kə’rektɪd/ a /də/ "historical injustice".

Crimea was /wəz / taken /teɪknd/ over /’dəʊvə/ by pro-Russian forces in late February after Ukraine's president was /wəz / ousted /zaʊstɪd/ , and declared /dɪ’kleəd/ independence /dɪndɪ’pendəns/ from Ukraine on Monday.

Kiev said /sed/ it /dɪt/ would never accept the treaty and the US has called /kɔ:ld/ a /də/ G7-EU crisis meeting next week in The Hague.

US Vice-President Joe Biden, speaking in Poland, said /sed/ Russia's involvement in Crimea was /wəz / "a /zə/ brazen military incursion" and its annexation of the territory was /wəz / "nothing more than a land grab" by Moscow.

Analysis

Bridget Kendall - Diplomatic correspondent, BBC NewsFor a hastily arranged /ə’reɪndʒd/ event /dɪ’vent/ , it was /wəz / grandiose and full of pomp. This was /wəz / partly to imbue the signing ceremony with as much majesty as possible, so even if it is disputed /dɪ’spju:tɪd/ internationally /dɪn’tenʃənəli/ , inside Russia it will be greeted /gri:tɪd/ as /dəz/ historical fact.

Certainly those present were /wə(r)/ jubilant. President Putin's address was /wəz / interrupted /,zɪntə’rʌptɪd/ by standing ovations. He made /meɪd/ much of Crimea's special meaning for Russia, arguing not only that the Crimean people had / həd/ the right to determine their own fate, but that he was /wəz / correcting a "historical wrong", because when Crimea ended /endɪd/ up /dʌp/ in independent Ukraine after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia, as he put it, "felt /felt/ it /tɪt/ had / həd/ been robbed /rɒbt/ ".

Other parts of the address were /wə(r)/ troubling: Russia and Ukraine he said /sed/ were /wə(r)/ not just neighbours but one nation, and Moscow would always protect the millions of Russian speakers there. And he still sees the new authorities in Kiev as an illegitimate puppet government under the control of radicals.

The Ukrainian foreign ministry said /sed/: "We do not recognise and never will recognise the so-called /kɔ:ld/ independence /dɪndɪ’pendəns/ or the so-called /kɔ:ld/ agreement /də’gri:mənt/ on Crimea joining the Russian Federation."

Germany and France quickly condemned /kən’demd/ the Russia-Crimea treaty.

UK Prime Minister David Cameron said /sed/: "It /dɪt/ is completely unacceptable for Russia to use force to change borders on the basis of a sham referendum held at the barrel of a Russian gun."

Mr Putin later appeared /ə’pɪəd/ before crowds in Moscow's Red Square, telling them: "Crimea and Sevastopol are returning to... their home shores, to their home port, to Russia!"

He shouted /ʃaʊtɪd/ "Glory to Russia" as the crowds chanted /tʃɑ:ntɪd/ "Putin!"

'More than convincing'Crimean officials say that, in a referendum held /held/ in /dɪn/ the predominantly ethnic-Russian region on Sunday, 97% of voters backed /bækt/ splitting from Ukraine.

The EU and US have declared /dɪ’kleəd/ the vote illegal. Travel bans and asset freezes have been imposed /ɪm’pəʊzd/ on /dɒn/ government officials and other figures in Russia, Crimea and Ukraine, but these have been largely dismissed /dɪs’mɪst/ as /təz/ ineffectual in Russia.

In a televised /’telɪvaɪzd/ address /də’dres/ in front of both houses of parliament and Crimea's new leaders, Mr Putin said /sed/: "In /dɪn/ the hearts and minds of people, Crimea has always been and remains an inseparable part of Russia."

The referendum had / həd/ been legal and its results were /wə(r)/ "more than convincing", he said /sed/.

"The people of Crimea clearly and convincingly expressed /ɪk’sprest/ their will - they want to be with Russia," he said /sed/, and /dənd/ were no longer prepared /prɪ’peəd/ to put up with the "historical injustice" of being part of Ukraine.

At the scene

Patrick JacksonBBC News, SevastopolNakhimov Square may not have been packed /pækt/ out /taʊt/ for the broadcast of Vladimir Putin's speech but the numbers were /wə(r)/ decent and the mood good-humoured /’hju:məd/. Small children cut arcs in the air with the Russian tricolour as their parents' faces creased /kri:st/ into /’tɪntə/ smiles in the sunshine.

The striking thing was /wəz / the relaxed /rɪ’lækst/ mood. Security was /wəz/ minimal and nobody seemed /si:md/ bothered /’bɒðəd/ by the media presence now. Presumably supporters of union felt /felt/ they had / həd/ got /gɒt/ their result and could breathe easy.

Afterwards families headed /hedɪd/ down to the nearby quays to photograph each other against the picturesque backdrop of the bay, tricolours in hand. The waterfront, scene of many tragic chapters in this city of sieges, is a happy place this afternoon.

Waking up in a different Crimea

Mr Putin criticised /’krɪtɪsaɪzd/ Ukraine's post-uprising leaders and those behind the unrest, saying they were "extremists" who had / həd/ brought /brɔ:t/ chaos.

He also praised /preɪzd/ the "courage, bearing and dignity" of Crimeans, and thanked all Russians for their "patriotic feeling".

The West, he said /sed/, had / həd/ behaved /bɪ’heɪvd/ "irresponsibly" /dɪrɪ’spɒnsəbli/ in backing the uprising, and dismissed /dɪs’mɪst/ concerns that Russia might go on to annex more of Ukraine.

"Don't trust those who frighten you with Russia... we do not need a divided /dɪ’vaɪdɪd/ Ukraine /’djuː ̍ k r eɪ n / " he said /sed/.

Russia "will of course be facing foreign confrontation," he said /sed/, adding /ædɪŋ/ : "We have to decide for ourselves, are we to protect our national interest or just carry on giving them away forever?"

He also thanked /θæŋkt/ China for what he said /sed/ was /wəz / its /zɪts/ support during the crisis. Beijing, which routinely avoids commenting on the affairs of other countries, had abstained /əb’steɪnd/ from voting on a UN draft resolution condemning Russia for its actions in Crimea.

The audience frequently applauded /ə’plɔ:dɪd/ Mr Putin at length during his emotionally charged /tʃɑ:dʒt/ speech, and gave /geɪv/ him a standing ovation.

President Putin, Crimea's Prime Minister Sergei Aksyonov, the region's Speaker Vladimir Konstantinov and the mayor of Crimea's capital, Sevastopol, Alexei Chaliy, then signed /saɪnd/ a /də/ treaty on making the Black Sea peninsula a part of Russia.

Earlier, Mr Putin had / həd/ recognised /’rekəgnaɪzd/ Crimea as a sovereign state and approved /ə’pru:vd/ a /də/ draft bill on its accession to the Russian Federation.

Ukraine crisis timeline

The bill must now be approved /ə’pru:vd/ by the constitutional court and then ratified /’rætɪfaɪd/ by parliament.

The BBC's Richard Galpin in Moscow says the process is likely to be completed /kəm’pli:tɪd/ by the end of the week.

Western powers have roundly condemned /kən’demd/ Tuesday's treaty.

The UK was /wəz / suspending "all bilateral military co-operation [with Russia] not subject to treaty obligations", Foreign Secretary William Hague told /təʊld/ Parliament.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said /sed/ that the referendum, the declaration of independence and Crimea's "absorption into the Russian Federation" were /wə(r)/ "against /rə’geɪnst/ international law".

French President Francois Hollande called /kɔ:ld/ for a "strong and coordinated /kəʊ’ɔ:dɪneɪtɪd/ European response" to the Russian moves.

Crimea was /wəz / transferred /’trænsfə:d/ from Russia to Ukraine while under Soviet rule in 1954.

The Ukrainian crisis began /bɪ’gæn/ in /nɪn/ November last year after President Viktor Yanukovych abandoned /ə’bændənd/ an /dən/ EU deal in favour of stronger ties with Russia.