Ukraine applies for accelerated accession to NATO – Zelensky

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal and Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk have signed an application for accelerated accession of Ukraine to NATO.

Volodymyr Zelensky announced this during his address following the results of the NSDC meeting.

“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. De facto. Today, Ukraine is applying to make it de jure. In a process that is consistent with our value in protecting our entire community. In an expedited manner. We are taking our decisive step by signing Ukraine’s application for accelerated accession to NATO,” Volodymyr Zelensky said.

He noted that this is a consolidation of what has already been achieved and corresponds to common values.

“We understand that this requires the consensus of all members of the Alliance. We understand that it is necessary to reach such a consensus. And therefore, while this is happening, we offer to implement our proposals regarding security guarantees for Ukraine and all of Europe in accordance with the Kyiv Security Compact, which was developed and presented to our partners,” Zelensky said.

Besides, during the meeting, NSDC came to a decision on application of sanctions against all significant Russian individuals and legal entities who either did not speak out directly against the war and in defense of international law, or were involved in the implementation of Russia’s aggression in any respect.

Zelensky appealed to the MPs of the Verkhovna Rada to consider the draft law, which will be considered at the next meeting, on speeding up and simplifying the procedure for the nationalization of Russian assets in Ukraine.