Ukraine refuses to negotiate after Russian annexation. Here's what Zelensky said
PremiumUkraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine will not hold any negotiations with Russia as long as Putin is the president of the Russian Federation.
After Russia formally annexed four Moscow-held regions of Ukraine on Friday, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Kyiv is requesting fast-track NATO membership, according to the news agency AFP.
In a video posted by Ukrainian Presidency on social media, Zelensky said that Ukraine will not hold any negotiations with Russia as long as Putin is the president of the Russian Federation.
“We will negotiate with the new president," said Zelensky, adding that the country have taken a decisive step by signing Ukraine's application for accelerated accession to NATO.
“We have already proven our compatibility with (NATO) alliance standards," he added.
Meanwhile, Ukraine's foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba also asserted that Putin is trying to grab the territories he doesn't even physically control on the ground by annexing four Ukrainian territories.
The minister also said that nothing changes for Ukraine, hence, the country will continue liberating its people, and land along with restoring its territorial integrity.
These remarks come after Putin signed treaties to annex four Moscow-occupied Ukrainian regions -- Donetsk, Kherson, Lugansk and Zaporizhzhia -- at a grand ceremony in the Kremlin yesterday.
"I want to say this to the Kyiv regime and its masters in the West: People living in Lugansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia are becoming our citizens forever," Putin said.
"We call on the Kyiv regime to immediately stop fighting and stop all hostilities... and return to the negotiating table," he added.
The pro-Kremlin leaders of the annexed territories claimed the regions voted in favour of becoming part of Russia in referendums that Western capitals and international organizations did not recognize.
The United States on Friday announced 'severe' new sanctions on Russia in response to the annexation that President Joe Biden called ‘fraudulent’ claim.
"The United States is imposing swift and severe costs on Russia," the White House said in a statement.
"The United States condemns Russia's fraudulent attempt today to annex sovereign Ukrainian territory. Russia is violating international law, trampling on the United Nations Charter, and showing its contempt for peaceful nations everywhere," Biden said.
(With AFP inputs)
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