Ukraine Abandons NATO Dream in Desperate Bid for Peace: Zalinksky Makes Shocking Concession to End War with Russia
- Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s stunning U-turn could pave the way for peace talks with Moscow, but sparks warnings of ‘Russian aggression’
- Ukraine’s President concedes to security guarantees from Western allies, ditching decades-long NATO ambitions in a bid to end the conflict
- Russian President Vladimir Putin’s demands for Ukraine to renounce NATO membership and be a neutral country have been met, but at what cost to Ukraine’s sovereignty?
In a dramatic about-face, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has abandoned his country’s long-held ambition to join NATO, in a desperate bid to secure peace with Russia. The shock move comes ahead of crunch talks with US envoys and European leaders in Berlin, aimed at ending the devastating war that has ravaged Ukraine since 2022.
The Ukrainian leader’s statement marks a major shift in Kyiv’s stance, and meets one of Russia’s primary war aims. Zelenskyy insisted that security guarantees from the US and European partners, rather than NATO membership, were a compromise his country was willing to make. “From the very beginning, Ukraine’s desire was to join NATO, these are real security guarantees,” he said in a WhatsApp chat with reporters.
Speaking of the compromise, Zelenskyy added, “Some partners from the US and Europe did not support this direction… Thus, today, bilateral security guarantees between Ukraine and the US, Article 5-like guarantees for us from the US, and security guarantees from European colleagues, as well as other countries — Canada, Japan — are an opportunity to prevent another Russian invasion.”
The move has sparked concerns that Ukraine’s sovereignty may be at risk, as Russia’s demands for Ukraine to officially renounce its NATO ambitions and withdraw troops from the Donbas region are met. Zelenskyy has, however, held firm against ceding territory to Moscow, and has called for a “dignified” peace and guarantees that Russia would not attack Ukraine again.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly demanded that Ukraine be a neutral country, with no NATO troops stationed on its soil. The Kremlin has also sought a “written” pledge from major Western powers not to enlarge the US-led NATO alliance eastwards, effectively ruling out membership for Ukraine and other former Soviet republics.
The exact details of the peace talks in Berlin remain unclear, but US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are set to meet with Zelenskyy and European leaders to discuss a 20-point plan, which includes a ceasefire along the current front lines. Zelenskyy has said that Ukraine has had no direct talks with Russia, and that Kyiv is looking for a fair outcome.
The crisis has sparked warnings from NATO and European leaders that Putin will not stop at Ukraine, with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte warning that the alliance must be “prepared for the scale of war our grandparents or great-grandparents endured”. The Kremlin has dismissed such claims as “irresponsible” and “forgetful” of the lessons of World War II.