Russian President Vladimir Putin today recognized the independence of the southern regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, hours before holding a ceremony to incorporate them into the Russian Federation.<br />''<br />''The Kremlin in a statement said that four Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine, Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia will be incorporated into Russia today.<br />''<br />''Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend a ceremony in the Kremlin at which they will be officially folded into Russia.<br />''<br />''On other hand, US President Joe Biden has said yesterday that the US will never recognize Russia's attempt to annex territory in Ukraine.<br />''<br />''Yesterday, the Russian president signed two decrees recognizing Zaporizhzhia and Kherson as independent territories paving the way for them to be annexed.<br />''<br />''However, Ukraine and the West have dismissed the votes as a sham.<br />''<br />''<span style="color: #222222;">However, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has said, any annexation of a country's territory based on the use of force violates the UN Charter and international law.</span><br />