Ukraine officially rules out negotiations with Russia

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree officially stating that negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin are impossible following Russia's annexation of occupied lands in southeastern Ukraine. The same decree instructs the Ukrainian Government to prepare proposals that will boost its defense "to a level that will ensure a guaranteed repulse to the armed aggression of the Russian Federation" and increase the supply of military-technical assistance to Ukraine, and recommends the Verkhovna Rada (parliament) "accelerate the adoption of relevant draft laws on appropriate sanctions and other responses" to Russia's escalation. Particularly, the proposals of the Cabinet (Government) are to focus on creating "a multi-level system of security guarantees on the basis of multilateral and bilateral agreements of Ukraine, [...] strengthening military support for Ukraine to build up its defense capabilities, promoting the development of the defense industry and significantly increasing the scale and scope of individual and collective training of Ukrainian servicemen." The Presidential Decree No. 679/2022 put into effect the decision of the National Security and Defense Council "Regarding Ukraine's actions in response to the Russian Federation's attempt to annex the territories of our state, with the aim of guaranteeing the security of the Euro-Atlantic space, Ukraine and restoring its territorial integrity" dated September 30, which stated that conducting negotiations with Vladimir Putin is impossible after he announced annexation of Ukraine's territories. On the same day, Ukraine announced its intention to join NATO under the expedited procedure. The text of the relevant joint appeal by President Zelenskyy, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, and Verkhovna Rada Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk was approved by the same decision of the National Security and Defense Council.

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