Thursday, March 28, 2024

Ukraine Applies for NATO Membership as Putin Annexes 4 Territories

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President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced his nation has formally submitted an expedited application to become a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

President Zelensky's announcement on Friday comes as Russia‘s invasion of the nation reaches its seven-month milestone.

“Ukraine was and remains a leader in negotiation efforts. It was our state that always offered to reach an agreement on coexistence on equal, honest, decent and fair terms,” Zelensky said in a video message. “It is obvious that this is impossible with this Russian president. He does not know what dignity and honesty are. Therefore, we are ready for a dialogue with Russia, but already with another president of Russia.”

The expedited NATO request also comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin signs an order that officially, in Russia's view, annexes four Ukrainian regions under the rule of the Russian Federation.

The signing ceremony took place just days after the referenda concluded in the Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions which allegedly showed the regions strongly support the secession from Ukraine.

Western officials have denied the referenda's legitimacy and alleged they were falsified to serve the Kremlin's political agenda. (RELATED: ‘Putin is a Fool' Says Intercepted Russian Call)

“The Kremlin's sham referenda are a futile effort to mask what amounts to a further attempt at a land grab in Ukraine,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a Thursday statement according to The Daily Wire. “To be clear: the results were orchestrated in Moscow and do not reflect the will of the people of Ukraine.”

Ukraine's application to join NATO also comes days after the Nord Stream natural gas pipeline system saw “unprecedented” damage. Some European leaders have blamed Russia for the damage but so far Russia has not admitted to any connection to the attack.

“The destruction that occurred on the same day simultaneously on three strings of the offshore gas pipelines of the Nord Stream system is unprecedented,” Nord Stream AG, the Russian company that operates the pipelines, said in a statement. “It is not yet possible to estimate the timing of the restoration of the gas transport infrastructure.”

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Nancy Jackson
Nancy Jackson
Nancy grew up in the South where her passion for politics first began. After getting her BA in journalism from Ole Miss she became an arts and culture writer for Athens Magazine where she enjoyed reporting on the eclectic music and art scene in Athens, GA. However, her desire to report on issues and policies impacting everyday Americans won out and she packed her bags for Washington, DC. Now, she splits her time between the Nation’s Capital and Philadelphia where she covers the fast-paced environment of politics, business, and news. In her off time, you can find Nancy exploring museums or enjoying brunch with friends.

9 COMMENTS

  1. I’m sorry but nothing about this entire Ukraine/Russia conflict is passing the smell test anymore.
    There have been reports Russia would not attack back in April/May if Ukraine agreed to not join NATO. The deal was done but was nixed by Biden.
    Reports of US labs in the Ukraine, the sabotage of the Nordstream pipelines, the defeat of Russian troops… sorry this just too convenient.

  2. A pig loaded with explosives could have easily inserted into the pipeline and caused the explosions beneath the Baltic. In fact, this is the most likely scenario.

    • I’m impressed you know what a pig is. Not one person in a hundred would know. A pig would make perfect sense.

      • I’m not one of the 1 in a hundred. I assume we’re not talking about the 4 legged animal with a curly tail. How about educating rest of us – what’s a pig?

      • Anyone who paid attention to Ian Fleming’s original versions of his Bond novels should know what a pig is. I read them as a teenager (back in the 1960s) and, amazing as it may be, I still remember that bit of trivia.

        For those who don’t know, a pig is a piece of equipment, sometimes holding gauges or sensors, that moves along a pipeline, along with the flow of whatever is being moved, in this case oil, that can scrape the inside of the pipeline clean or push obstructions/ blockages out of the way without stopping the flow of the medium or sometimes is used to gather data.

  3. Why is it taking so long to figure out who sabotage the Russian pipeline. I’m not sure who would benefit from it.

  4. A self-fulfilling prophecy of doom: Putin sought to intimidate Ukraina and the West from the prospect of joining NATO. Now by his unreasoned belligerence and by the resolve of Ukraina never to tolerate Russian tyranny once more, Putin has brought about the thing he most fears: that Ukraina will join with the Western alliance. And who can blame them?: Putin is acting like the KGB colonel that always will be.

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