Volodymyr Zelensky Ukrainian President‚ traveled to Brussels today to gather support for his Victory Plan. However‚ a key component – an invitation to join NATO – seems out of reach for now
Zelensky presented his plan to the Ukrainian parliament‚ emphasizing the need for an immediate NATO invitation. Yet NATO officials dont expect this to happen soon especially with the US presidential election just weeks away and European leaders watching closely for potential changes in transatlantic relations
The Ukrainian leader has been on a diplomatic tour recently‚ visiting the US and European capitals. These trips have yielded limited public backing and little apparent progress. After presenting his plan to EU leaders in Brussels Zelensky stated‚ “Its important for us that we are strengthened and the first step should be invitation“. He acknowledged that actual membership “might come after the war“ but stressed the importance of starting the process soon
Zelensky discussed the NATO issue with Joe Biden‚ Kamala Harris‚ and Donald Trump during his recent US visit. He noted concerns in the US about NATOs potential involvement in the conflict‚ saying “There are certain red lines‚ even in inviting Ukraine to NATO but in my view this is not so“
The Ukrainian presidents efforts have put the question of a NATO invitation high on the agenda. However Kyivs biggest Western supporters have approached it cautiously. Julianne Smith‚ US Ambassador to NATO‚ stated‚ “We are not at the point right now where the alliance is talking about issuing an invitation in the short term“
Mark Rutte‚ NATO Secretary General expressed confidence that Ukraine would eventually join the alliance but didnt explicitly support the Victory Plan. He said‚ “That doesnt mean that I here can say I support the whole plan. That would be a bit difficult because there are many issues of course we have to understand better“
Zelenskyʼs push comes amid a tense battlefield situation and a challenging winter following Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure. A NATO official speaking anonymously noted‚ “Some decisions will not be taken on day one of a new US administration‚ but things might take a while until new positions are defined“
Baltic nations‚ strong allies of Ukraine have voiced support for a NATO invitation. Laurynas Kasciunas‚ Lithuanian Defense Minister‚ called for an immediate invite saying‚ “If you want to push Russians back from NATO territory from even the idea to test NATO‚ the best way to do it is to support Ukraine in every means“
Despite some momentum around the idea of extending an invitation‚ a senior NATO official stated that its unlikely to happen soon due to many “ifs and buts“. They added that Ukraineʼs accession and the security guarantees it entails probably wont occur before the conflict ends “and whatever line of demarcation we have then is stabilized“