The Ukrainian president’s announcement comes shortly after the formalization on Friday of the annexation of the Ukrainian regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhia to the Russian Federation.
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An immediate reaction. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Friday, September 30, that Ukraine would sign an application for accelerated NATO membership, one hour after Russia formalized the annexation of four Ukrainian regions.
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“We are taking a decisive step by signing Ukraine’s candidacy for accelerated NATO membership”he said in a video posted on social networks. “Ukraine will not negotiate with Russia as long as Putin is the president of the Russian Federation. We will negotiate with the new president”, he added. In his speech, Vladimir Putin called “the kyiv regime to immediately cease firing, all hostilities”.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg remained evasive when asked about Ukraine’s candidacy for a “accelerated membership” to NATO. “Every democracy in Europe has the right to apply for NATO membership and we have said again and again that the door remains open”, he said at a press conference. But a decision on membership must be approved “unanimously” by the 30 member countries, he recalled. The NATO Secretary General also insisted on the refusal of the Atlantic Alliance to be directly involved in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
On Friday evening, Joe Biden warned Russia that NATO would defend “every centimeter” of its territory, which could therefore go as far as the occupied Ukrainian regions if the body accepts Ukraine’s candidacy.