Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has expressed his readiness to consider refusing to join NATO in exchange for specific security guarantees from the United States, Europe and other partners. This proposal was commented on by American security experts, according to Reuters.
Justin Logan, director of defense and foreign policy at the Cato Institute, said that this proposal "doesn't move the needle at all" because Ukraine's membership in NATO has long been a non-starter. At the same time, he emphasized that Ukraine's security can be ensured in other ways, in particular through agreements on military support, arms supplies and sanctions against russia.
Andrew Michta, Professor of Strategic Studies at the University of Florida, agrees that Ukraine's accession to the Alliance is not really on the agenda at the moment due to the current security situation and is not considered a realistic scenario.
In contrast, Brett Bruen, a former adviser to the Obama administration, called Ukraine's abandonment of its NATO membership aspirations a "significant and substantial concession."
"It's a way for Zelenskyy to contrast Ukraine's willingness for significant concessions for peace at a time when Moscow has been short on any significant concessions," Bruen said.
He drew attention to the key question of what guarantees Ukraine will receive in return. He emphasized that this is a way for Zelenskyy to demonstrate his willingness to make concessions, although the question remains: what did he get in return for giving up his promise to join NATO?
The expert suggested that Donald Trump could have potentially promised to patrol Ukrainian skies or increase military aid in the event of a large-scale russian offensive. Bruen summarized that Ukraine needs to rely on concrete actions, not just political statements or words.
As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, the WSJ notes that the US and Zelenskyy have not reached an agreement on a peace deal.
In addition, on the eve of the meeting, Zelenskyy compared the process of ending the war to "running a long distance," emphasizing Ukraine's readiness for "Plan B".
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