Nato rejects Putin's 'land grab' after Ukraine annexations

BRUSSELS: Nato on Friday condemned Russia's annexation of four more regions of Ukraine and warned Moscow of "severe consequences" if it uses nuclear weapons in its war against Kyiv.
"This land grab is illegal and illegitimate. NATO allies do not and will not recognize any of this territory as part of Russia," NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said, after President Vladimir Putin's announcement.
Stoltenberg remained non-committal after Ukraine said it was applying to join the Western alliance, recalling that a decision on membership required consensus of all 30 allies and calling for the focus to remain on helping Kyiv's war effort.