Zelenskyy: No talks with Putin if Ukrainian land is annexed

(Bebeto Matthews/AP)

Ukraine’s president has warned that Russia’s “sham referendums” and attempts to annex Ukrainian territory rule out any talks with Moscow as long as Vladimir Putin remains president.

Speaking to the UN Security Council by video link over Russian objections, Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged additional military and financial support to defend Ukraine “so the aggressor would lose”, and “clear and legally binding guarantees of collective security” for his country in response to Russia’s latest grab for Ukrainian territory.