Ukraineʼs membership in NATO is incompatible with a future peace agreement with Russia, but the issue of defense is open. And Ukraine has allegedly "de facto agreed" that there will be no accession to the Alliance.
This was stated by Donald Trumpʼs special envoy for the Middle East Stephen Witkoff, who is also involved in negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. He said this in an interview with American journalist Tucker Carlson, a former Fox News host, anti-vaccine advocate, and a supporter of Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.
"Regarding NATO, I think Zelensky — and he has a right-hand man, Yermak — I think they have already largely accepted that Ukraine will not become a member of NATO," Witkoff said.
At the same time, according to him, other security guarantees for Ukraine, in particular in a format similar to NATOʼs Article 5
"There has been a lot of talk about whether Ukraine can still get the so-called Article 5 protection that all NATO countries have. Like, can Ukraine get some form of such protection — whether from the US or from European states — even without full membership in the Alliance. And I think that is a matter for discussion. But it has generally been recognized that if there is to be a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia, then Ukraine should not be a member of NATO. I think that is already accepted as a fact," said Witkoff.
Ukraine in NATO
In January, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the United States, Germany, Hungary, and Slovakia were against Ukraine joining NATO. Prior to that, in October 2024, Politico wrote that seven countries, including the United States, Germany, Slovakia, and Hungary, were against Ukraine joining NATO. However, Belgium, Slovenia, and Spain also do not support Ukrainian membership.
On February 12, the US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said that he was convinced that Washington was "committed to a sovereign Ukraine", but that the countryʼs membership in the Alliance was not a realistic scenario.
"I agree with that. I donʼt think itʼs practical," the US President Donald Trump said the same day.
In March, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni proposed extending Article 5 of NATO’s charter to Ukraine without granting it full membership in the Alliance. She sees this as a more sustainable security guarantee for Ukraine than sending European peacekeepers.
- Volodymyr Zelensky previously emphasized that Ukraineʼs accession to the Alliance will be a "proof of determination" and will show how partners see Ukraine in the "security architecture". According to him, Ukraine does not want to regain the right to be a nuclear power, but in exchange for this it should receive a "security umbrella" in the form of NATO membership.
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