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Zelenskiy asks NATO to speed up Ukraine's accession
Summary
A look back at the appeal from Kyiv as Russian forces gathered near Ukraine's borders and the Donbas conflict continued.
What did Ukraine ask of NATO on 6 April 2021? President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called on the alliance to hasten the country's accession, pointing to a growing build-up of Russian troops and military hardware on its borders.
He also asked NATO to help bring an end to the ongoing conflict in the Donbas with pro-Russian separatists.
The backdrop
The appeal came days after a sharp exchange over the war in the east. On 31 March 2021, Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine of "provoking armed confrontation" with the separatists. He also said Ukraine had failed to comply with the ceasefire of July 2020.
The conflict, which broke out in 2014, had by then killed more than 14,000 people.
The two positions stood in contrast. Kyiv pointed to Russian forces massing near its borders and sought closer ties with NATO, while Moscow's president blamed Ukraine for the fighting in the east.
