Ukraine Submits 'Accelerated' NATO Application

Facts

In a video address on Friday, Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced Ukraine's submission of an "accelerated" application to join the NATO military alliance.
The announcement comes on the same day that Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin held a ceremony where he proclaimed that Moscow has formally annexed the four partially occupied Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia.
Putin's ceremony follows a series of referenda that received international condemnation, with many Western nations — including the US and the EU — saying they won't recognize the annexed territory as Russian.
Ukraine had sought to join NATO since Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula in 2014, a move Russia has fiercely opposed. However, in March, Zelenskyy conceded that Kyiv was unlikely to join.
It's not immediately clear what a fast-tracked application would look like, as for a country to join NATO it requires the unanimous support of the alliance's 30 members.
In his speech on Friday, Putin called on Ukraine to "come to the negotiation table." While Zelenskyy said he's still prepared to negotiate with Russia, he clarified that talks wouldn't be held as long as Putin is president.

Pro-Russia narrative, as provided by TASS. Zelenskyy's announcement is nothing more than a provocation that won't bring anything to fruition. Due to the current situation, NATO's members will be hesitant to accept the bid, as it would result in a direct conflict between the alliance and Russia. This wasted retaliation in response to the reunification of Russian territories is likely to fall on deaf ears.
Anti-Russia narrative, as provided by US News. Russia's unprovoked war against Ukraine is the very thing that's pushing Kyiv straight into NATO's arms. While it remains to be seen whether all 30 members will welcome Ukraine, Zelenskyy's fast-track application takes a strong stance against Putin's illegitimate referenda and exposes that Putin is failing in one of his primary goals.