Ukraine Bids to Join NATO Despite Long Odds
- Zelenskiy pushes for accelerated membership path for Kyiv
- Membership bid comes as Putin announces illegal land grab
Volodymyr Zelenskiy on a monitor during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York on Sept. 21.
Photographer: Jeenah Moon/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Ukraine formally applied to join NATO Friday but the alliance responded with immediate caution, seeking to avoid provoking a full-blown conflict with Russia since members are compelled to come to each other’s defense.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced the accelerated bid in a video address to the nation, saying Ukraine has already made its “path towards NATO,” demonstrating “compatibility with the alliance’s standards.”