As Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to impose nuclear threats, the world's reaction to the "fake" referendums that will be held in the coming days in the occupied areas of Ukraine will be vital to removing any "false legitimacy" of the steps he may take afterwards, Canadian Foreign Minister warned.

Melanie Joly spoke with journalists on Thursday from New York, where she is attending meetings as part of the Canadian delegation to the United Nations General Assembly. So far, world leaders at the General Assembly have strongly focused on the global instability caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, while laying the groundwork for a response if Putin attempts to annex the regions controlled by Russia. Many fear that the claim to be part of Russia will provide a dangerous pretext for Putin to attempt to defend using tactical nuclear weapons to stop the ongoing Ukrainian counteroffensive.

Joly described the nuclear threats launched by Putin amid the recent counteroffensive as "irresponsible" and "unimaginable," but she also warned that "they cannot be naïve" about the threats, saying: "We have to make sure that we work with allies in different scenarios, we now know that Putin is trapped, he is trapped and becoming more isolated. At the same time, we have to be very cautious; we need to ensure that the international community does not legitimize the fake referendum that Putin is trying to conduct. It is essential because we want to make sure that Russia does not have that fake legitimacy as an argument that can be used in the context of this illegal and unjustified war, and for this reason, we call it what it is - these are fake referendums, and we mobilize the international community to make sure that this is the case."

Joly also added that more sanctions against Russia will come "very soon," but she does not support preventing Russians from obtaining visas, as many are currently trying to flee the country where Putin is mobilizing additional forces to support the faltering war effort.