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Ukraine's NATO plea and Russia's warning
Summary
A look back at the exchange between Kyiv and Moscow over alliance membership as Russian forces massed near Ukraine's borders.
What did Kyiv ask of NATO, and how did Moscow answer, in the days before 8 April 2021?
On 6 April 2021, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called on the alliance to hasten the country's accession. He framed the request as a response to a growing build-up of Russian troops and military hardware on Ukraine's borders. He also said membership could help bring an end to the ongoing conflict in the Donbas with pro-Russian separatists.
Russia replied on 7 April 2021. After Ukraine urged NATO to speed up its membership application, Moscow warned that Ukraine joining the alliance would exacerbate the Donbass conflict.
Two opposing readings
The exchange set out two opposing views of the same war. Kyiv presented closer ties with NATO as a way to help end the fighting and as a response to the Russian military build-up. Moscow presented the same step as something that would make the conflict worse.
By 8 April 2021, the two positions were on the public record, and the reports from that week show no sign of either side moving toward the other.
