Despite opposition from the United States and its allies, Russian President Vladimir Putin acted to finalize the illegal annexation of some Ukrainian territories.
On Wednesday, the Kremlin announced Putin signed a law to take the regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia as part of Russia.
Under the law, it also means Russia has control over the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is also Europe's largest.
The move came after Russia held a referendum in the 4 regions, but was not recognized by Ukraine and the West who described it as fake and in violation of international law.
Although the Russian military currently controls only a portion of the area, Putin now considers the entire region under his protection.
He also vowed to maintain stability in the four regions after Ukraine said it had successfully recaptured villages in Luhansk and Kherson.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia would recapture any lost territory.
Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky submitted an urgent application to join NATO in response to Russia's illegal annexation and rejected formal talks with Putin.
