Ukraine Refuses to Compromise on NATO Membership Amid Ongoing Conflict.
In a defiant stance, Ukraine has made it clear that it will not settle for any alternatives or substitutes to its full membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). This comes as NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte sidestepped questions about Ukraine’s potential entry into the intergovernmental military alliance.
During a press conference, Rutte stated that the priority now must be to strengthen Ukraine’s position in any future peace negotiations with Russia by sending more weapons to Kyiv. He asserted that “the front is not moving eastwards, it is slowly moving westwards,” and that Ukraine should be in a position of strength to decide on the next steps for opening and conducting peace talks.
Rutte’s remarks came just days after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky suggested that extending NATO membership to territories currently under Kyiv’s control could bring an end to the “hot stage” of the ongoing conflict.
Zelensky argued that once the open conflict is over, a proposal to join NATO could be extended to all parts of the country within its internationally recognized borders.
In response, Ukrainian officials made it clear that they will not accept any half-measures or stopgap solutions regarding NATO membership.
The country’s foreign ministry issued a statement, emphasizing that Ukraine “will not settle for any alternatives, surrogates or substitutes for Ukraine’s full membership in NATO.”
The foreign ministry also cited Ukraine’s experience with the Budapest Memorandum, a 1994 agreement in which the United States, United Kingdom, and Russia pledged to respect Kyiv’s territorial integrity and refrain from the use of military force.
The Ukrainian government now views full NATO membership as the only real guarantee of security and a deterrent against further Russian aggression.
