Velshi: Putin wasn’t punished appropriately for annexing Crimea. If he has his way, he’ll do it again
05:48
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Aside from some relatively modest economic sanctions and Russia’s expulsion from the G8 group of world leaders, the Kremlin’s annexation of Crimea went largely unchallenged. So now if Vladimir Putin has his way, he’d probably do it again. Annexing a territory is considered an act of aggression by the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Annexation happens when one state acquires territory of another state by force. It usually happens after a military occupation, and it is generally illegal under international law. Vladimir Putin is certainly not the first leader to annex territory and claim it as his own. The world has a long history of power-hungry men who have attempted to forcibly take the land of others. It is not illegitimate to change borders, as long as it’s done through negotiation, with the parties on both sides of those borders agreeing to the change. Forcibly occupying another territory is illegal. When an annexation goes unchallenged by the rest of the world, it leads to violence, persecution, oppression and, in the case of Ukraine, war.April 30, 2022
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