On Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued a proclamation prohibiting talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
After the Russian parliament approved deals to annexe Ukraine’s Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia regions, Kyiv made its most recent action.
Following referendums held on September 23–27, Putin signed agreements with separatist administrations of the breakaway Ukrainian areas joining Russia last Friday.
The vote occurs more than seven months after Russia declared war on Ukraine on February 24.
The international community has denounced the referendums, with the US and European countries dubbing them a “sham” and stating that they would not be recognized.