Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday denounced the Russian-staged votes in occupied parts of Ukraine approving proposals to become part of Russia, saying they were a "farce" and could never be described as legitimate referendums.
"This farce in the occupied territories cannot even be called an imitation of a referendum," he said in his nightly video address, according to Reuters.
Zelenskyy added that Ukraine would defend its people still living under occupation in the four areas where votes were held - Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions -- and in parts of Kharkiv region still under occupation.
He also said there would soon be good news from the front, but offered no details for the moment. "We are advancing and will liberate our land," stated Zelenskyy.
Earlier on Tuesday, Zelenskyy spoke to the UN Security Council by video and made clear that attempts to annex Ukrainian territory rule out any talks with Moscow as long as Vladimir Putin remains president.
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, according to The Associated Press.
"Any annexation in the modern world is a crime, a crime against all states that consider the inviolability of border to be vital for themselves," he stated.
He accused Russia of destroying "the main body of international law," and responding to "any proposals for talks with a new brutality on the battlefield, with even greater crisis and threats to Ukraine and the world."
Meanwhile on Tuesday, Israel's Foreign Ministry announced that Israel would not recognize the results of referendums held in Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine.
“Israel recognizes the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and will not recognize the results of referendums in the eastern districts of Ukraine,” the Foreign Ministry said.