US on NATO Membership for Ukraine

NATO membership for Ukraine is not currently on the agenda, and it is not going to happen. This statement was made by Keith Kellogg, a special representative of former US President Donald Trump, during an appearance on Fox News.

“We have made it clear—NATO is off the table. This idea is not new. We have been talking about it since 2008,” said Kellogg.

He reminded that 17 years ago, William Burns, the US Ambassador to Russia at the time, had told Condoleezza Rice, who was then serving as Secretary of State, that this was an unattainable goal. Trump himself has also often stated that Ukraine will never join NATO.

According to him, it was the promise made by former White House leader Joe Biden to provide guarantees for the alliance’s accession to Kyiv that led to the military conflict with Russia. The Russian authorities have also named Ukraine's desire to join NATO as one of the triggers of the conflict.

It is noteworthy that Ukraine submitted a request for expedited NATO membership in the fall of 2022. At that time, Jens Stoltenberg, who was then the NATO Secretary-General, stated that the country could join the alliance if Kyiv renounced its lost territories. Later, Mark Rutte, who replaced Stoltenberg as NATO Secretary-General, announced that the issue of Ukraine's membership was no longer on the agenda.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has stated that if NATO doors remain closed for Kyiv, it will be necessary to “build NATO in Ukraine.” According to Zelensky, this can be achieved by financing the country’s defense and supporting the development of the military industry to a level that “would guarantee peace.”

Ukraine's rejection of discussions around NATO membership is one of the proposals put forward by the US during peace negotiations, Bloomberg reported. It is noted that meetings involving representatives from the US, Ukraine, and European countries took place in Paris on April 17.

The Washington initiative also implies that Russia will retain all territories under its control. In June 2024, Kellogg proposed his version for resolving the conflict in Ukraine, which indicates that Kyiv would continue to receive military assistance only on the condition of starting negotiations with Moscow. If Russia refuses, the US would warn it about the strengthening of support for Ukraine.

Trump has suggested that the US could entirely abandon peace negotiations if either the Russian or Ukrainian side complicates the settlement significantly.