President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky issued a warning on Friday, saying Ukraine would not engage in negotiations with Russia as long as President Vladimir Putin remains in office. He said, “As long as Putin is the leader of the Russian Federation, Ukraine will not engage in negotiations. Putin annexed four Moscow-occupied regions of Ukraine. We’ll talk to the new president and negotiate, but we do not negotiate with Putin”.
Following Russia’s formal annexation of four Moscow-controlled areas of Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky stated on Friday that Kyiv is requesting fast-track NATO membership. In a video that the Ukrainian presidency shared on social media, Zelensky made the statement. He said, “Our compatibility with Alliance standards has already been established, and we are taking a crucial step by signing Ukraine’s application for acquiring NATO membership”.
On Friday, at a lavish ceremony in the Kremlin on Friday, Russia annexed four military-controlled territories in Ukraine. It pushed Kyiv to disarm and negotiate an end to the seven months of fighting.
In a speech to Russia’s senior political elite, Putin told the West that the territorial grab was inevitable and urged the empowered Ukrainian army to give up and negotiate a surrender.
In response to the annexation, which President Joe Biden referred to as a “fraudulent” assertion, the United States imposed “severe” new sanctions against Russia on Friday. Putin declared, “People living in Lugansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia are becoming our citizens for all time. I want to tell this to the Kyiv regime and its masters in the West”.
The White House released a statement saying, “The United States is exacting rapid and harsh repercussions on Russia.” Biden added, “The United States denounces the false attempt by Russia to seize sovereign Ukrainian territory. Russia is flouting international law, the United States Charter, and demonstrating its disdain for all peaceful nations”.
Biden added, ” “The United States will always respect the international borders of Ukraine. By giving Ukraine more Power militarily and diplomatically, including with the $1.1 billion in extra security aid the US pledged this week, we will continue to back Ukraine’s attempts to reclaim control of its territory”.