NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, Defense Secretary Gen. Lloyd Austin, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken have all gently pushed back against the idea that Ukraine could be granted fast-track accession to the transatlantic alliance.

In response to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s annexation of four Russian-controlled regions of Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday announced that Kyiv was applying for “accelerated accession to NATO.”

Zelenskyy pointed to the fact-track process that had enabled Sweden and Finland in a matter of months to speed towards NATO membership, bypassing the customary “membership action plan” procedure that other aspirants have taken years to work through.

But if Zelenskyy hoped the urgency of the moment would bring a quick and positive response from NATO and its most powerful member, he was mistaken.