Zelenskyy: US never wanted Ukraine in NATO
Photo: President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Getty Images)
The United States has never seen Ukraine as a NATO member and has never wanted the country in the alliance. This is not just President Donald Trump's position but US policy in general, stated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during the Munich Security Conference.
"The US never saw us in NATO. They just spoke about it. But they didn't want us in NATO. I never heard that we will be in NATO. Never. So, it's not a question to Trump, it's a question to the US policy," the President said.
However, he added that this does not mean Ukraine cannot change this policy.
"If it's not NATO for today, we will ask tomorrow," Zelenskyy said.
According to Zelenskyy, the only alternative today is to make NATO in Ukraine.
"We need to increase our army twice. We have 110 brigades, and Russia has 220 brigades. They are two times bigger than we," he added.
Ukraine's accession to NATO
Ukraine had hoped to receive an official invitation to join NATO at the Alliance's summit in Washington in July 2024, but this did not happen.
The Ukrainian government insists on adopting a clear timetable for accession, but no concrete decisions have been made. The Alliance emphasizes that the “door to NATO” remains open, but membership is not possible until the war is over.
Recently, US President Donald Trump stated that he believes Ukraine’s membership in NATO is unlikely.
Additionally, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said at the Ramstein meeting that the US does not view NATO membership for Ukraine as a realistic outcome of peace negotiations.
Meanwhile, NATO reacted to the Pentagon chief's statements about Ukraine's membership in the Alliance. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius criticized the statements of the American side regarding the possibility of Ukraine's accession to NATO and called them concessions to Russia before the start of negotiations.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that if Ukraine cannot join NATO, then the Alliance should be on Ukrainian territory. According to him, an alternative to Ukraine's accession to NATO is the deployment of NATO troops on Ukrainian territory. At the same time, the country should have an army similar in size to Russia's.
