Why Ukraine hasn’t entered NATO so far: Key reasons from The Telegraph
NATO (Photo: Getty Images)
Ukraine and NATO have reached an unprecedented level of cooperation, but despite the close interaction, the issue of membership is still being held back by political factors, according to a report in The Telegraph.
Unprecedented cooperation
Ukraine and the North Atlantic Alliance are at the closest level of interaction in the entire history of their relations.
This applies to both political dialogue and practical military cooperation.
It is noted that contacts between the sides have become more intensive and are built on trust.
At the same time, Kyiv continues to seek new formats of interaction to communicate its position to partners more effectively and to take their approaches into account.
Some countries already view Ukraine as a future NATO member and support ongoing coordination.
Why Ukraine is not in NATO
The main factor holding back the accession process, the publication notes, is Russia’s influence.
"The impossibility of Ukraine’s membership in NATO in the foreseeable future is merely a political construct. Nothing more, nothing less. It can be endlessly reinforced, or it can be dismantled very quickly," the Telegraph states.
Three key myths
According to the authors, this position rests on a number of common claims.
Among them is the assertion that NATO would not expand eastward—a claim that does not reflect reality.
Another argument concerns the risk of a direct conflict with Russia if Ukraine were to join the Alliance.
However, it is emphasized that aggression against Ukraine began long before any real prospects of membership.
"Even Henry Kissinger, who for a long time believed Ukraine should not be invited to NATO to avoid Russian aggression, acknowledged after the full-scale invasion started that there were no longer any restrictions on Ukraine’s membership," the Telegraph quotes.
Ukraine’s role in European security
The claim that Ukraine’s aspiration to join NATO caused the war is also refuted.
The article emphasizes that Russia’s real goals are tied to the destruction of Ukrainian statehood.
"Russia started the war because it wanted – and still wants – to destroy Ukraine, eliminate Ukrainian statehood, and erase Ukrainian identity, not because it feared Ukraine’s Nato membership," the piece states.
US President Donald Trump is considering a deep restructuring of NATO based on a pay‑to‑play principle, which, according to assessments, may represent an attempt to reconsider relations with the Alliance.
US President Donald Trump stated that NATO failed the test, pointing to the refusal of Alliance countries to support the American operation against Iran.
