Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Ukraine formally applies for fast-track NATO membership

Ukraine formally applies for fast-track NATO membership

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg shies away from directly endorsing Ukraine’s bid, but stresses alliance is open to new members.
Ukraine on Friday formally requested an “accelerated accession” to join NATO, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced — a response to Russia formally annexing four Ukrainian regions.

“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,” Zelenskyy said during a video address.

The move was intended to draw attention away from Vladimir Putin’s elaborately staged speech earlier in the day, in which he announced the annexations to an audience seated under gilded chandeliers.

But there wasn’t any indication that Ukraine’s request would advance its membership hopes, which have been in limbo for years. The prospect of Ukraine joining NATO has long fueled frustration for Moscow, which regularly rails against the military alliance’s eastward expansion in recent decades.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Friday evening reiterated the alliance’s unchanging position that it is open to new members but shied away from directly endorsing Ukraine’s bid.

“Every democracy in Europe has the right to apply for NATO membership and NATO allies respect that right, and we have stated again and again that NATO’s door remains open,” Stoltenberg told reporters in Brussels.

He added that NATO members recently affirmed at a summit in Madrid that they “support Ukraine’s right to choose its own path, to decide what kind of security arrangements it wants to be part of.”

Stoltenberg was direct, however, that the alliance’s immediate focus is on the war.

“A decision on membership, of course, has to be taken by all 30 allies and we take these decisions by consensus,” he said. “Our focus now,” he added, “is on providing immediate support to Ukraine, to help Ukraine defend itself against the Russian brutal invasion.”

NATO allies in 2008 pledged that Ukraine would eventually become an alliance member. But as that process stalled over the years, it seemed increasingly unlikely that Ukraine’s bid would become a reality.

But Russia’s war has upended the geopolitical landscape, reopening the question of Ukraine’s possible membership. In recent months, NATO has also welcomed the application of two other new members in Europe — Finland and Sweden.

Before Russia invaded Ukraine in February, Moscow requested binding guarantees from Kyiv not to join the U.S.-led security alliance, and used this as a pretext for launching the invasion.

Zelenskyy’s announcement came mere hours after Putin, in his speech, vowed to use all the powers at his disposal to defend the four Ukrainian he annexed following hastily organized sham referendums in each. European countries condemned the votes as a pretext to further “violate” Ukraine’s sovereignty.

During his address, Putin called upon Kyiv to cease military action and said Moscow was open to negotiations, although Ukraine has long insisted that it will not stop fighting until Russian forces entirely leave the country.

Zelenskyy responded in his own address, saying that while Ukraine was open to negotiations, such talks were “impossible” with Putin, and would have to be with another Russian president.

In his comments on Friday, NATO’s Stoltenberg warned that Putin’s mobilization of fresh troops, his “nuclear saber-rattling” and illegal annexation represent “the most serious escalation since the start of the war.”

But, the NATO chief said, “none of this shows strength — it shows weakness.”

“It is an admission,” Stoltenberg said, “that the war is not going to plan and that Putin has utterly failed in his strategic objectives.”
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
Intel Reports Revenue Beats but Sees 81% Rise in Losses
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
Tulsi Gabbard Unveils Evidence Alleging Political Manipulation of Intelligence During Trump Administration
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Trump Announces Coca-Cola to Shift to Cane Sugar in U.S. Production
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
Moonshot AI Unveils Kimi K2: A New Open-Source AI Model
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
×