Biden: Russian referendums are a 'sham', U.S. will never recognize annexation

U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks at a Democratic National Committee event at the National Education Association headquarters in Washington, U.S., September 23, 2022. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

U.S. President Joe Biden said on Friday that Russian referendums aimed at annexing four occupied regions of Ukraine are a sham and said Washington "will never recognize Ukrainian territory as anything other than part of Ukraine."

In a statement, Biden said Washington "will work with our allies and partners to impose additional swift and severe economic costs on Russia."

(Reporting by Costas Pitas and Rami Ayyub, Editing by Franklin Paul)