NATO membership is becoming a distant dream for Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has been trying to get membership for two years, has once again been disappointed. NATO once again made it clear that it is not currently ready to include Ukraine in its organization. NATO allies have asked Zelensky for more information about his 'Victory Plan', which is designed to end the ongoing war with Russia.
Zelensky wants NATO membership soon
Zelensky's plan focuses on getting NATO to act quickly on their membership application. This application was made by Ukraine seeking protection from NATO after Russia's invasion two years ago. In fact, the biggest feature of NATO is its collective security guarantee, which is mentioned in Article 5 of the organization. It is a political commitment made by the 32 member countries that if any member country's sovereignty or territory is attacked, all members will assist it. But this provision does not apply to allied countries like Ukraine.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte did not welcome Zelensky's Victory Plan and said he and allies were paying attention to it, the AP reported. He also did not clarify when Ukraine might join NATO, only saying that Ukraine would one day become a member.
NATO consoles Ukraine
“There are many political and military issues in this plan that we will discuss with Ukraine. We have to see what we can and cannot do,” Rutte said. For now, NATO's focus is on helping Ukraine win more territorial gains and strengthen its position for future peace negotiations. It is noteworthy that this is a very difficult time for Ukraine. Ukrainian troops are clashing against better prepared and equipped Russian forces in the Donetsk region.
America currently does not want NATO membership for Ukraine
Ukraine has been demanding NATO membership for 16 years, but no concrete progress has been made so far. However, major NATO members such as the US and Germany are concerned that granting Ukraine membership could drag them into a broader war with nuclear-armed Russia. Therefore, these countries are opposing Ukraine's inclusion in NATO until the war ends.
