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President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Friday Ukraine was formally applying for fast-track membership of the NATO military alliance and that Kyiv was ready for talks with Moscow, but not with President Vladimir Putin.
The Ukrainian leader made his comments in a video which appeared intended as a forceful rebuttal to the Kremlin after Putin held a ceremony in Moscow to proclaim four partially occupied Ukrainian regions as annexed Russian land.
“We are taking our decisive step by signing Ukraine’s application for accelerated accession to NATO,” Zelenskyy said in a video on Telegram.
Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier in lengthy speech declared a “mission accomplished” of sorts, regarding the official annexation of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine.
He said these eastern and southern provinces are now part of Russia “forever”.
Putin touted that the referendums were accomplished in line with the UN charter on self-determination for all peoples, and vowed “They have made their choice… this is the only path to peace. We will protect our land using all our forces and we will protect their security. We will of course rebuild all destroyed towns and continue building hospitals, theaters, and schools.”