Russia has vetoed a UN Security Council resolution condemning Moscow-backed "illegal" referendums to annex Ukraine's occupied territories.
The remaining 10 members of the Security Council voted in favor of the resolution drafted by the US and Albania, while China, India, Brazil and Gabon abstained.
"The resolution condemns illegal referendums. It calls on all countries not to recognize changes in the territory of Ukraine and demands that Russia immediately withdraw its troops from Ukraine", says the US ambassador, Linda Thomas Greenfield.
Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier announced the annexation of four Ukrainian regions, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, in violation of international law.
The referendums have been widely condemned by the international community, with European countries and the US declaring they will not be recognized.