Ukraine requests speedy NATO membership

Following Russia’s claim on four eastern Ukrainian provinces, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked NATO to speed up Ukraine’s membership application. NATO’s mutual defense pact means an attack on one member nation is considered an attack on all of them. Dmitry Medvedev, Russia’s top security official, said Zelenskyy’s request amounts to “begging NATO to accelerate the start of World War III.”

Could NATO say yes? Nine central and eastern European countries expressed support for Ukraine’s expedited application. But it would take unanimous support from the 30 member countries to approve. Major players such as France, the United Kingdom, and the United States are unlikely to support it. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Ukraine’s application process “should be taken up at a different time.” Over the weekend, the Ukrainian military managed to clear Russian troops from the city of Lyman in Donetsk, one of the annexed provinces.

Dig deeper: Read Todd Vician’s report in WORLD Magazine about concerns over neo-Nazi sympathizers in the Ukrainian military.