Ukraine applies to join NATO
On September 30, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine is applying for accelerated accession to NATO.
Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine has already de facto completed path to NATO, proven interoperability with the Alliance’s standards on the battlefield, and became a trustworthy partner. “We trust each other, we help each other and we protect each other. This is what the Alliance is. De facto. Today, Ukraine is applying to make it de jure,” – said Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his speech.
The President of Ukraine also mentioned that Ukraine will apply for membership under an accelerated procedure. Earlier this year, Finland and Sweden started their accession to the Alliance without a Membership Action Plan. “This is also fair for Ukraine,” – stated Zelenskyy.
“It is here, with the firmness of our state borders, that we can secure the firmness of the borders of all European states. We can guarantee that no one else will dare to bring war back to our continent.”
President Zelenskyy also stated that Ukraine remains open to negotiation, but only with the next president of Russia. Earlier on September 30, Vladimir Putin announced an attempt to annex four Ukrainian regions – Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson – that are partially under Russian occupation.
“[Russia] tries to steal something that does not belong to it. Wants to rewrite history and redraw borders with murders, torture, blackmail, and lies. Ukraine will not allow that,” – Zelenskyy said.
