Channeling the imperialist rhetoric of his security chief, Nikolai Patrushev, Russian President Vladimir Putin railed against the West on Friday.

He did so while formalizing the annexation of four more Ukrainian territories at a Kremlin ceremony. In response, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky offered his own escalation, announcing he would attempt to fast-track Ukraine’s membership in NATO. Zelensky added that he would no longer consider negotiating with Russia as long as Putin remains president. This hardening of positions means that the war in Ukraine will almost certainly escalate before any durable peace is possible.