In his "victory plan," Volodymyr Zelensky highlighted Ukraine's accession to NATO as a separate point, acknowledging that actual membership in the alliance would only be possible after the end of the war with Russia. However, he insisted that it is "critically important" for Ukraine to receive an invitation now, during the war, writes Politico.
However, key members of the alliance are wary of being drawn into a war with Russia. Outgoing US Permanent Representative to NATO Julianne Smith told the publication that "as of today, the alliance has not reached the point where it is ready to offer Ukraine membership or an invitation." Among the main opponents of inviting Ukraine to NATO during military actions are the US and Germany, who fear that this would draw bloc countries into the war. "We are ensuring that NATO does not become a party to the war, so that this war does not turn into an even greater catastrophe," said German Chancellor Olaf Scholz during US President Joe Biden's visit to Berlin last week.
At the same time, officials speaking to the publication emphasized that neither the US nor Germany rule out the possible accession of Ukraine to the alliance. The Biden administration's position has long been that NATO membership will occur after the end of the war, but without any specific timelines.
These countries are not the only obstacle to Ukraine's path to NATO. Hungary and Slovakia are also sharply opposed, but their motives differ from other countries. As Politico writes, the populist leaders of these countries generally take a pro-Kremlin stance, and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is blocking EU funds for arming Ukraine and withdrawing from NATO's program to send lethal aid to Kyiv.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico warned that Ukraine's accession to NATO "will be a good basis for World War III" and vowed that he "will never agree" to it.
There are other countries unwilling to quickly respond to Kyiv's request, ready to consider it only hypothetically, without implementing it in practice. "Countries like Belgium, Slovenia, or Spain hide behind the US and Germany. They don't want to," a NATO official told the publication. The countries "support this idea abstractly, but as soon as it comes closer to realization," they will begin to more openly oppose it, a source told Politico.
The Baltic countries and Poland, which are closest to the war zone and have borders with Russia, show much more enthusiasm on this issue. Poland advocates for "opening NATO prospects for Ukraine," Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said during the EU leaders' summit last week. However, the opinion of these countries is currently overshadowed by the position of the US and Germany, the publication notes.
Photo: AP