Just an hour before Zelensky’s announcement, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Moscow’s illegal annexation of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, which Russian forces have partially occupied. At the time of Putin’s speech, Zelensky was meeting with his National Security Council. “There will be no negotiations with Russia while Putin is the president,” Andriy Yermak, Zelensky’s chief of staff, said on Telegram. “We are moving forward. To victory.”