Politico: Seven NATO members oppose immediate membership invitation for Ukraine

US, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia, Belgium, Slovenia, and Spain are slow-walking Ukraine's request for the immediate invitation, despite Zelenskyy's insistence on wartime invitation necessity

Oct 24, 2024 - 09:00

Politico: Seven NATO members oppose immediate membership invitation for Ukraine

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According to Politico, at least seven of 32 NATO member states, including the United States and Germany, are opposing Ukraine’s bid for an immediate invitation to join the alliance. Other countries hesitant about the bid include Hungary and Slovakia, both led by pro-Russian governments, as well as Belgium, Slovenia, and Spain, Politico says, citing unnamed sources.

Zelenskyy delivered his “victory plan” to Ukraine’s Parliament and the EU summit last week, with the first point calling for Ukraine’s invitation to NATO as essential for lasting peace and a deterrent against further Russian aggression. The plan consists of five public points and three classified annexes, also covering the remaining points: strengthening defense and targeting Russian territory, deterring aggression with a non-nuclear package, boosting Ukraine’s strategic and economic potential, and proposing a post-war strategy where Ukrainian forces replace US troops in Europe.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s “victory plan,” which includes receiving a NATO invitation during the ongoing war with Russia, is facing resistance from key alliance members, four US and NATO officials and diplomats told Politico anonymously.

“The alliance has not, to date, reached the point where it is prepared to offer membership or an invitation to Ukraine,” outgoing US Ambassador to NATO Julianne Smith told Politico in an interview.

The Biden administration maintains that NATO admission would occur post-war, with required anti-corruption reforms in Ukraine, according to a senior US official cited by Politico.

While expressing gratitude for Germany’s military support, Zelenskyy acknowledged German skepticism, saying that “the fact that the German side is skeptical about our joining NATO is a fact.” The Ukrainian President believes that only US backing could influence Germany to support a NATO invitation for Ukraine.

Per Politico, Hungary and Slovakia are also opposing the move due to their leadership’s pro-Kremlin stance. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán called Zelenskyy’s victory plan “more than terrifying,” while Slovakia’s Robert Fico warned that Ukraine’s NATO membership “would be a good basis for a third world war.“

Belgium, Slovenia, and Spain are also reluctant but prefer to “hide behind the US and Germany,” one NATO official told Politico. A second official noted that countries “support it in the abstract but once it gets closer to materializing” they will start to balk more publicly.

Meanwhile, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk expressed support for “opening up a NATO perspective for Ukraine” during last week’s EU leaders summit.

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