Kiev, Ukraine – Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has called upon NATO members to extend an invitation to Ukraine to join the Western military alliance during an upcoming meeting in Brussels. Sybiha’s plea is part of Ukraine’s renewed efforts to secure NATO membership, which forms a crucial part of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s strategy to end the conflict initiated by Russia’s 2022 invasion.
Zelenskiy has proposed a solution to end the “hot phase” of the 33-month-old war by granting Ukraine NATO membership while allowing Russia to retain currently occupied territories. This move is aimed at thwarting one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s key objectives of preventing Ukraine from becoming a NATO member.
In a letter seen by Reuters, Sybiha emphasized that extending an invitation to Ukraine should not be viewed as an escalation of tensions but rather as a step towards inevitability. By offering Ukraine membership now, it would undermine Russia’s rationale for prolonging the unjustified war.
While NATO has acknowledged Ukraine’s path towards membership as irreversible, there is no unanimous agreement among all 32 member countries to issue a formal invitation at this point. Despite the lack of consensus, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Olga Stefanishyna highlighted that the invitation remains on the table as a strong political statement to the allies.
Sybiha’s letter argued that inviting Ukraine to join NATO would be a fitting response to Russia’s continuous escalation of the conflict, including the recent involvement of foreign troops and testing of new weapons within Ukrainian territory. Although some diplomats have expressed skepticism over any imminent changes in NATO’s stance, the push for a NATO invitation remains a key objective for Ukraine.
As the debate continues within NATO, Zelenskiy stressed the importance of officially extending the invitation to the entirety of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders. This approach, he believes, could offer a diplomatic avenue for reclaiming control over the territories currently held by Russia.
With the upcoming NATO Foreign Ministerial Meeting in December, the decision to invite Ukraine to join the alliance remains a pressing issue that could have significant implications for the ongoing conflict in Eastern Europe.