Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday that Kyiv was requesting fast-track NATO membership after Russia formally annexed four Moscow-held regions of Ukraine.

‘We have already proven our compatibility with Alliance standards… We are taking a decisive step by signing Ukraine’s application for accelerated accession to NATO,’ Zelensky said in a video posted by the Ukrainian presidency on social media.

Zelensky added that Kiev is ready for settlement talks with Moscow, but with a Russian president other than Vladimir Putin.

“We are ready for dialogue with Russia, but with another Russian president,” he said in a video address posted on his Telegram channel.

President Vladimir Putin has signed the treaties on the inclusion of the two Donbass republics, as well as Kherson and Zaporozhye Regions, which declared independence from Ukraine, into the Russian Federation. Friday’s ceremony marks the start of the formal process of their accession to Russia.

Source: Al-Manar English Website