By RNZ
The New Zealand Government has "unequivocally" condemned Russia's attempts to illegally annex the regions in Ukraine it currently occupies.
Russian President Vladimir Putin proclaimed Russia's annexation of a swathe of Ukraine in a pomp-filled Kremlin ceremony overnight NZ time, promising Moscow would triumph in its "special military operation" against Kyiv.
His proclamation of Russian rule over 15 per cent of Ukraine has been roundly rejected by other Western countries and the United States and Britain have announced new sanctions.
In a statement released this afternoon, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said New Zealand also did not recognise "these illegal attempts to change Ukraine's borders or territorial sovereignty".