Subhechcha Ganguly 
According to a Russian Security Council source quoted on Thursday, if Ukraine joins the U.S.-led NATO military alliance, the war there will inevitably worsen and turn into World War Three.
On September 30, only a few hours after Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, formally proclaimed the annexation of up to 18% of Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy made a surprise application for fast-track membership in NATO.
Alexander Venediktov, deputy secretary of the Russian Security Council, described Ukraine’s request for fast-track NATO membership as “more of a propaganda move” and claimed that Kiev is “fully aware” of the implications of such a move.
Venediktov also reaffirmed the Russian stance, according to which the West’s support for Ukraine demonstrated that “they are a direct party to the conflict.”
According to sources, Russian missiles attacked Mykolaiv on Thursday after the UN General Assembly deemed Moscow’s invasion of Ukrainian land “illegal” urged additional military aid from Ukraine’s allies.
President Vladimir Putin has criticised the US for pushing NATO’s eastward expansion on numerous occasions, in particular for courting former Soviet nations like Georgia and Ukraine that Russia believes to be within its sphere of influence.
Since all 30 countries of the organisation would need to agree, full NATO membership for Ukraine is still in the future.
“NATO members themselves understand the suicidal nature of such a decision,” a Russian official stated.On September 21, Putin issued a warning to the West, stating that he was serious when he indicated he would be prepared to use nuclear weapons to defend Russia against what he called “nuclear blackmail” from powerful Western nations.
