US, Germany "not ready" to invite Ukraine to NATO, alliance source says

The United States and Germany are reportedly “not ready” to recommend inviting Ukraine to NATO, according to a source within the Alliance cited by Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne.

Ukraine reaffirmed it would settle for nothing less than NATO membership, citing the Budapest Memorandum’s failure to provide effective security assurances after it relinquished nuclear arms 30 years ago. Meanwhile, US President-elect Trump has repeatedly promised to swiftly end the war, with his team suggesting territorial concessions from Ukraine for a ceasefire and delaying Ukraine’s NATO membership, raising concerns over sovereignty.

Suspilne cited its NATO source as saying:

“The issue primarily lies with the US and Germany. We can only speculate on their main concerns, but Ukraine’s NATO membership is not currently on the agenda.”

At the same time, the source said that Slovakia and Hungary oppose Ukraine’s invitation to join the Alliance, “but this is evident from the statements of their politicians.”

Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó reiterated Budapest’s long-standing anti-Ukrainian stance, saying, “That country is at war and a country at war cannot contribute to the security of the alliance,” Reuters reported on 3 December.

NATO chief Rutte stresses more weapons for Ukraine, less talk on peace process

Earlier, Reuters reported, referring to “the text of a letter seen by Reuters” on 29 November, that Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha had called for a formal NATO invitation in a letter ahead of the foreign ministers’ meeting on 3-4 December in Brussels.

Sybiha reportedly argued that an invitation would serve as the right response to “Russia’s constant escalation” of its aggression, noting Russia’s use of Ukrainian territory as a testing ground for advanced weaponry and its reliance on North Korean military personnel.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis confirmed “no progress” on the issue after discussions in Brussels, Reuters said.

Ukraine formally applied for accelerated NATO membership on 30 September 2022, a move supported by several Central and Eastern European countries. However, NATO clarified that unanimous agreement among all 30 members was required.
At the Vilnius summit on 11-12 July 2023, NATO adopted measures to deepen Ukraine’s partnership but stopped short of issuing a full invitation. Then-Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg emphasized that Ukraine’s membership would proceed when “allies agree and conditions are met.”
On 1 October 2024, the newly appointed NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that his priority in office is to bring Ukraine closer to membership in the Alliance.
On 16 October 2024, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy presented his victory plan in Ukraine’s Parliament, with NATO membership as a cornerstone of Ukraine’s long-term security.
Trump’s envoy for Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg co-authored a paper advocating delaying Ukraine’s NATO membership in exchange for a “peace deal with security guarantees.”

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US, Germany “not ready” to invite Ukraine to NATO, alliance source says