U.S. will never recognize Russian claims on Ukraine -Biden

STORY: Speaking to Pacific island leaders, Biden denounced referendums that pro-Russian forces conducted in areas of Ukraine as an "absolute sham," saying the results were "manufactured in Moscow."

“The United States, I want to be very clear about this, the United States will never, never, never recognize Russia's claims on Ukraine's sovereign territory," Biden said.

“Russia's assault on Ukraine in pursuit of Putin's imperial ambitions is a flagrant, a flagrant violation of the UN Charter, and the basic principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity," he added.