London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Sep 17, 2025

NATO treads fine line on Ukraine membership

NATO treads fine line on Ukraine membership

Even some of Kyiv’s closest partners in the alliance are hesitant.

An awkward dynamic was on full display as NATO foreign ministers met with their Ukrainian counterpart on Tuesday.

Arriving at NATO headquarters in Brussels on the day Finland formally became a member of the alliance, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba offered congratulations and declared that “Ukraine is aiming at reaching the same goal, becoming a full member of NATO.”

“It will be one of the topics of our conversations here in Brussels, of how can we move forward,” he said.

Despite vast amounts of Western military assistance to Ukraine amid the war with Russia, NATO’s direct support has been limited to nonlethal aid. And while Kyiv formally requested “accelerated accession” to join NATO in September last year, the alliance is divided on how to tackle that demand.

As Finland’s flag was raised in front of its HQ, across the street a group of pro-Ukrainian protesters chanted: “Ukraine in NATO!”

And while Kuleba was more diplomatic, he conveyed a similar message.

“While we appreciate the practical support we receive from the alliance,” the Ukrainian foreign minister said, “there is no better strategic solution to ensuring strategic security in the Euro-Atlantic region than the membership of Ukraine in the alliance.”

The delicate issue has fueled debate. While there is consensus within the alliance that Ukraine cannot join NATO immediately, the discussion is ongoing over which political signals and concrete steps the alliance could offer Kyiv in the meantime.

“There are those who would say: Maybe nothing can happen because we need to concentrate just on the fight itself,” said Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, referring to the grinding artillery battles playing out largely along Ukraine’s eastern front.

“But I think that Ukrainian people deserve to hear what we think,” he told POLITICO in an interview at NATO headquarters. “And we have to have an answer for them.”


Assistance instead of membership


Ukraine’s NATO aspirations are among the thorniest issues facing NATO allies.

On Tuesday, ministers formally convened in a NATO-Ukraine Commission format — a symbolic move acknowledging Kyiv’s aspirations for a closer relationship. Hungary, which has long blocked the body from meeting, grudgingly attended the session but vowed to continue opposing Ukrainian integration.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has advocated for greater NATO support to Ukraine


NATO pledged in 2008 that Ukraine would eventually join the alliance, but the process stalled. Fast forward to 2022, when Russia infamously launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

In the current situation, numerous Western capitals argue that the priority now is helping Ukraine win the war — and that discussion of NATO’s political relationship with Kyiv should wait.

A senior U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss internal alliance dynamics, said that America stands by the alliance’s 2008 decision: “But the focus at this point has to be on practical support, and how do we best sustain the security assistance.”

Any broader post-conflict political relationship between NATO and Ukraine “is somewhat moot if we don’t absolutely guarantee that we’re able to sustain the security assistance,” the official added.

But some allies — particularly along NATO’s eastern flank — say the alliance needs to give Ukraine a credible gesture on moving closer now.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has been advocating for boosting the alliance’s longer-term investment in Ukraine — supporting reforms in the defense sector and helping the country’s military transition to Western standards — while avoiding a concrete path or membership timeline for the time being.

Speaking after the ministers’ session with Kuleba, the NATO chief told reporters that allies have stepped up their contributions to NATO’s nonlethal fund for Ukraine.

“Building on this, we will develop a multi-year support initiative for Ukraine, to help ensure Ukraine’s deterrence and defense, make the transition from Soviet-era equipment and doctrines to NATO standards, and increase interoperability with NATO,” he said.

But Lithuania’s Landsbergis said that only expanding NATO’s nonlethal aid to Ukraine is “not sufficient.”

“We need to show to Ukraine that their application is being taken seriously and they are making steps towards NATO, which at the end will end up with their full membership,” he said.

“I don’t,” Landsbergis added, “see the future where Ukraine is not part of NATO.”

The senior U.S. official acknowledged that there is a “spectrum of opinion” within the alliance on the issue — with some advocating “to give Ukraine a specific date,” while others want to “evaluate as the situation evolves.”

But, the official said, “I would always want it to be clear that it’s within the construct of the framework of all allies having incredible levels of support for Ukraine.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Hong Kong Industry Group Calls for HK$20 Billion Support Fund to Ease Property Market Stress
Joe Biden’s Post-Presidency Speaking Fees Face Weak Demand amid Corporate Reluctance
Charlie Kirk's murder will break the left's hateful cancel tactics
Kash Patel erupts at ‘buffoon’ Sen. Adam Schiff over Russiagate: ‘You are the biggest fraud’
Homeland Security says Emmy speech ‘fanning the flames of hatred’ after Einbinder’s ‘F— ICE’ remark
Charlie Kirk’s Alleged Assassin Tyler Robinson Faces Death Penalty as Charges Formally Announced
Actor, director, environmentalist Robert Redford dies at 89
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
JD Vance Says There Is “No Unity” with Those Who Celebrate Charlie Kirk’s Killing, and he is right!
Trump sues the 'New York Times' for an astronomical sum of 15 billion dollars
Florida Hospital Welcomes Its Largest-Ever Baby: Annan, Nearly Fourteen Pounds at Birth
U.S. and Britain Poised to Finalize Over $10 Billion in High-Tech, Nuclear and Defense Deals During Trump State Visit
China Finds Nvidia Violated Antitrust Laws in Mellanox Deal, Deepens Trade Tensions with US
US Air Force Begins Modifications on Qatar-Donated Jet Amid Plans to Use It as Air Force One
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
Elon Musk Retakes Lead as World’s Richest After Brief Ellison Surge
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
The German Owner of Politico Mathias Döpfner Eyes Further U.S. Media Expansion After Axel Springer Restructuring
Suspect Arrested: Utah Man in Custody for Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
×