President Volodymyr Zelensky signed an application for Ukraineʼs accelerated accession to NATO.
The president announced this in his address.
"De facto, we have already made our way to NATO. De facto, we have already proven compatibility with Alliance 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. This is what the Alliance is," Zelensky noted.
He explained that the application is being submitted through a process that will be consistent with “our importance of protecting our entire community. In an expedited manner." As long as the consideration of the application continues, Ukraine will seek the security guarantees that it has set out in the draft of the Kyiv Security Treaty, which has already been presented to the partners.
The President also added that only the path of strengthening Ukraine and expelling the occupiers from the entire territory will restore peace, and Ukraine was and remains a leader in negotiation efforts.
"It was our state that always offered Russia to agree on coexistence on equal, honest, dignified and fair terms. It is obvious that this is impossible with this Russian president. He does not know what dignity and honesty are. That is why we are ready for a dialogue with Russia, but with another Russian president," Zelensky emphasized.
- In June, NATO confirmed the decision of the 2008 Bucharest Summit and all subsequent decisions regarding the right of Ukraine and Georgia to join the Alliance.