In the wake of sham elections and Russian annexation of portions of Ukrainian territory, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has filed an official application for NATO membership.
The surprise bid for fast-track membership was announced via a video speech sent through the Telegram app.
“We are taking our decisive step by signing Ukraine’s application for accelerated accession to NATO,” he said. “We understand that this requires the consensus of all the alliance’s members… and therefore, while this is happening, we propose the realization of our proposals regarding security guarantees for Ukraine and all of Europe according to the Kyiv Security Compact.”
In his video, Zelenskyy also rejected Putin’s call for talks between the two countries.
“Clearly, with this Russian president (that) is impossible. He does not know what dignity and honesty are. Therefore, we are ready for a dialogue with Russia, but with another president of Russia,” he said.
You can view the full video below.