Ukraine is not now, and has never been, a member of NATO. However, the question of whether it ever will be is a major part of the now four-and-a-half-year-old war between Russia and Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has long argued that the threat of NATO expansion, which would bring the defensive alliance to Russia’s doorstep and threaten to “encircle” it, was part of his justification for invading Ukraine.
T-14 Armata Tank. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
A British Army Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank (MBT) lays down a smoke screen during Spring Storm 19, Estonia’s largest annual military exercise. Roughly 9,000 soldiers from Estonia, other NATO Allies and partner nations have gathered near the town of Jõhvi to engage in a collective defence exercise, strengthening their ability to work together in times of crisis.
NATO, while it has not formally welcomed Ukraine as a member state, has been a staunch backer of Ukrainian independence and the Ukraine war effort against Russia.
And Ukraine has it placed in its Constitution that it seeks to join NATO and the European Union.
“Today, NATO Allies are providing unprecedented levels of military assistance to Ukraine, supporting its ability [to] defend itself against Russia’s war of aggression,” NATO’s website says. NATO also says that 99 percent of all military aid to Ukraine is provided by NATO member states.
However, one former top military commander this week threw cold water on the idea of Ukraine ever becoming a member of NATO.
“Unfortunately, We Will Never Actually Join”
According to The Guardian, which cited Ukrainian outlet Evropeiska Pravda, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, who was formerly Ukraine’s top military commander before his departure in 2024, was speaking at a meeting of Ukrainian ambassadors.
Zaluzhnyi said he spent years working to help Ukraine meet NATO’s military standards.
“Every year I heard tales about how we would join NATO any day now,” Zaluzhnyi told the ambassadors. However, he ultimately concluded that this will never happen.
Why not? That’s because NATO is an alliance that is “guided by World War 2 doctrines.”
The Kyiv Independent had more of his comments, which included his preference that Ukraine instead seek to join newer blocs and alliances, including an eventual “European military security bloc.” The Independent also reported that Zaluzhnyi is expected to seek the presidency of Ukraine in the next election.
In 2024, Politico reported that the United States and Germany were among several NATO countries “slow-walking” Ukraine’s bid for membership. The reason for that? A real fear on the part of those countries is getting into a full-on war with Russia.
Hungary and Slovakia — two countries that are also sometimes the last holdouts on Russia sanctions efforts within the European Union — were also said to be opposed to immediate NATO membership for Ukraine, as of 2024.
Slovakia’s leader, Robert Fico, had stated that year that Ukraine’s entry into NATO would present a “good basis for a third world war.”
At the time, however, countries such as Poland and the Baltic republics, all of which are much closer to Ukraine and the war’s front line, were more enthusiastic about welcoming Ukraine.
Zelensky’s View
The current president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, feels differently.
At the start of the war, Politico said his “victory plan” called for Ukraine to join the alliance, though he also acknowledged that such a move would likely be a serious possibility only once the war with Russia was over.
As recently as the NATO summit in Turkey in early July, Zelensky called for NATO to welcome Ukraine and asked the alliance to step up its support for the war effort.
“Ukraine belongs in NATO, because NATO with Ukraine is the alliance for the future,” the Ukrainian president said, also pitching Ukraine’s drone technology and the things it can do for NATO’s defensive capabilities.
Ukraine has since made “drone deals” with more than a dozen allied countries.
Last December, when peace talks with Russia were about to begin, Zelensky offered to give up Ukraine’s ambitions to join NATO in exchange for additional Western security guarantees.
At the time, there was talk of “Article 5-like guarantees” from the U.S., which essentially meant that the U.S. would come to Ukraine’s aid in the event of a foreign invasion.
At the time, the thinking was that after a settlement to end the current war, Ukraine was looking for assurances that Russia wouldn’t invade it again at some point in the future.
At any rate, the peace talks went nowhere; no more new ones are scheduled, and the long war between Russia and Ukraine continues.
About the Author: Stephen Silver
Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist, and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review, and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. For over a decade, Stephen has authored thousands of articles that focus on politics, national security, technology, and the economy. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @StephenSilver, and subscribe to his Substack newsletter.
