Ukraine announces fast-track NATO membership bid, rules out Putin talks

President Volodymyr Zelensky says Kyiv is ready for talks with Moscow, but not with President Vladimir Putin

President Volodymyr Zelensky 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," Zelenskiy said in a video on Telegram.

The video showed Zelensky announcing the membership bid and then signing a document flanked by his prime minister and the speaker of parliament.

The announcement was likely to touch a nerve in Moscow which casts the NATO bloc at home as a hostile military alliance bent on encroaching in Moscow sphere of influence and destroying it.

In his video speech, Zelensky accused Russia of brazenly rewriting history and redrawing borders "using murder, blackmail, mistreatment and lies," something he said Kyiv would not allow.

He said however that Kyiv remained committed to the idea of co-existence with Russia "on equal, honest, dignified and fair conditions".

"Clearly, with this Russian president it is impossible. He does not know what dignity and honesty are. Therefore, we are ready for a dialogue with Russia, but with another president of Russia," Zelensky said.