Official: Ukraine will fight for land Russia likely to annex
Associated PressKYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine is determined to reclaim territory that Russia is likely to annex following stage-managed voting in occupied areas and takes seriously Moscow’s threats to use nuclear weapons in the war with its neighbor, an adviser to Ukraine’s president said Wednesday. “And for us, our actions depend not so much on what the Russian Federation thinks or wants, but on the military capabilities that Ukraine has.” Ukraine and its Western allies have denounced the Kremlin-orchestrated “referendums” that ended Tuesday as as illegal and a sham, noting that many residents remain displaced by the seven-month war. “Of course, Ukraine takes this seriously, because we understand what kind of country we are dealing with,” Podolyak said. “Russia constantly talks about negotiations in an ultimatum style but only speaks for an external audience, because it wants to ensure pressure on Ukraine from our partners saying that they are ready to conduct negotiations.” ___ Follow the AP’s coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine