Putin signs treaty, adds Crimea to map of Russia

Large rally in Moscow celebrating Crimea's decision to join Russia. Live: http://t.co/1VO7LRpxB7 pic.twitter.com/FmHFr9dkUj — BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeedNews) March 18, 2014

Here's video of Russian President Vladimir Putin's full speech, with English translations: http://t.co/oChLFU1ded — PostTV (@PostTV) March 18, 2014

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After Crimea, world anxious about Putin's next move

New signs going up on Crimea parliament. This is Tatar (either that or it's a random anagram with available letters) pic.twitter.com/1HTkDNLxWf — Shaun Walker (@shaunwalker7) March 18, 2014

(With inputs from AP and PTI)

NEW DELHI/MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin telephoned Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday evening and thanked him for India's support to Russia on Crimea.During the conversation, the Prime Minister emphasized on territorial integrity and expressed hope expressed the hope that all sides would exercise restraint and work together "constructively to find political and diplomatic solutions that protect the legitimate interests of all countries in the region and ensured long-term peace and stability in Europe and beyond."Putin telephoned the Prime Minister around 7.30pm and discussed the evolving situation in Ukraine and Sunday's secession referendum in Crimea.Thanking Putin for explaining the Russian position with regard to recent developments in Ukraine, Singh "emphasized the consistent position India had on the issues of unity and territorial integrity of countries", India's foreign ministry said in a statement.Singh and Putin also discussed the close relationship and mutually-beneficial partnership between the two countries, the statement further said. Both leaders reaffirmed the importance that both countries attach to their special and privileged strategic partnership.The foreign ministry said that Singh also thanked Putin for his personal leadership in further deepening and strengthening the India-Russia strategic partnership in recent years.Earlier on Tuesday, with a sweep of his pen, the Russian president added Crimea to the map of Russia today, describing the move as correcting past injustice and responding to what he called Western encroachment upon Russia's vital interests.In an emotional 40-minute speech televised live from the Kremlin, Putin said "in people's hearts and minds, Crimea has always been an integral part of Russia."READ ALSO: Putin signs treaty to make Crimea part of RussiaHe dismissed western criticism of Sunday's Crimean referendum in which residents of the strategic Black Sea peninsula overwhelmingly backed breaking off from Ukraine and joining Russia as a manifestation of the West's double standards.However, the Russian leader insisted his nation has no intention to invade other regions of Ukraine, saying "we don't want a division of Ukraine, we don't need that."Putin referred to Ukraine as a state born out of an illegal secession from the Soviet Union. He also argued that today's Ukraine includes "regions of Russia's historic south" and was created on a whim by the Bolsheviks.The statement sounded as a clear warning to both the new Ukrainian government in Kiev and to the west to respect Russia's interests.In response, Ukraine's new government called Putin a threat to the whole world and US Vice-President Joe Biden warned that the US and Europe will impose further sanctions against Moscow."The world has seen through Russia's actions and has rejected the flawed logic," Biden said, meeting with anxious European leaders in Poland on Tuesday."Today's statement by Putin showed in high relief what a real threat Russia is for the civilized world and international security," Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesman Evhen Perebinis said on Twitter. "(The annexation) has nothing to do with law or with democracy or sensible thinking."Thousands of Russian troops have been massed along Ukraine's eastern border for the last few weeks Russia says that was for military training while the US and Europe view the troops as an intimidation tactic.Putin argued that the months of protests in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev which prompted Ukraine's President Viktor Yanukovych to flee to Russia had been instigated by the West in order to weaken Russia.He cast the new Ukrainian government as illegitimate, driven by radical "nationalists, neo-Nazis, Russophobes and anti-Semites."With strong emotion, Putin accused the West of cheating Russia and ignoring its interests in the years that followed the 1991 Soviet collapse.