Just hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced his intentions to annex four regions of Eastern Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky revealed that he has formally applied for NATO membership.
According to a breaking Reuters report, Zelensky said Friday via a Telegram video post that he’s signed off on “fast-track” membership paperwork for his nation to join the alliance. With his prime minister and speaker of parliament by his side, the Ukrainian president could reportedly be seen signing the document.
⚡️Zelensky about applying for NATO membership:
"We are de facto allies already," he said. "De facto, we have already proven compatibility with Alliance standards."
"Ukraine is applying to confirm it de jure," Zelensky said, "by an expedited procedure."
📷President's Office pic.twitter.com/HmWxvd8z3D
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) September 30, 2022
The move to request NATO membership, many predict, will be seen as an escalation of the country’s war with Russia, as its communist neighbor has repeatedly threatened Ukraine against joining NATO. That’s because if NATO approved Ukraine’s application, it would mean the United States and other Western powers would be forced into defending Ukraine from Russia’s continued onslaught, likely resulting in a World War III scenario, sooner than later.
To be accepted fully into the NATO alliance, all member states would have to pass a unanimous vote.
President Zelensky made several comments regarding his desire to join the Western alliance:
“We have already made our way to Nato. We have already proven compatibility with the alliance’s standards.”
“They are real for Ukraine – real on the battlefield and in all aspects of our interaction. We trust each other, we help each other, and we protect each other. That’s what the Alliance is. De facto.”
“Today, Ukraine is applying to make it de jure. In a process that is consistent with our value in protecting our entire community. In an expedited manner.”
“We are taking our decisive step by signing Ukraine’s application for accelerated accession to Nato.”
You can watch Zelensky’s dramatic video signing of the membership paperwork below:
NOW – Ukraine's president Zelensky signs #NATO application.pic.twitter.com/RJfFuPmZM4
— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) September 30, 2022
The move comes after President Joe Biden insisted that under any circumstances, the United States would never recognize any territories in Ukraine annexed by Russia, which critics say only happened because Russia rigged the referendum votes in the four areas in Ukraine it plans to take over, which include Luhansk, Donetsk, the Kherson region, and the Zaporizhzhia region. The move is being described as the biggest landgrab since World War II.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken echoed the president’s statements, CNBC reported:
Secretary of State Antony Blinken slammed Russia’s “attempt at a land grab in Ukraine” and said that the U.S. will never recognize the results of the Kremlin’s “sham referenda.”
“The results were orchestrated in Moscow and do not reflect the will of the people of Ukraine. The United States does not, and will never, recognize the legitimacy or outcome of these sham referenda or Russia’s purported annexation of Ukrainian territory,” Blinken wrote in a statement.
“This spectacle conducted by Russia’s proxies is illegitimate and violates international law,” he added.
Making matters trickier was news Friday that the Biden administration announced another round of sanctions against Russia and certain Russian individuals after Putin announced his plans to annex parts of Ukraine. The departments of Treasury, Commerce, and State announced separate sanctions against Russia.
In other words, while the West has, so far, avoided conflict with Russia, nobody is out of the woods at this point. It’s unclear when NATO member states will begin the process of considering Ukraine’s membership, but several countries, including Germany and France, have denied Ukraine’s inclusion in the past.
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