Ukraine’s potential future in NATO remains a distant prospect, no matter how much Volodymir Zelensky might clamor for membership, underscored an article in The National Interest.
“Ukraine all but certainly won’t be able to join the transatlantic alliance as long as hostilities with Russia continue,” wrote Stavros Atlamazoglou.
The very reason why Kiev has been persistently banging on NATO’s door is also what stands in the way of its membership - Article 5, underscored the journalist. No matter how much support the US and its allies might extend to Ukraine, the alliance will seek to “avoid immediate involvement” in the ongoing hostilities, it was stressed.
Despite Article 5, or the common defense clause, requiring every NATO country to come to the aid of another alliance member under attack by a state or non-state actor, it is “not an automatic reaction,” he clarified. The transatlantic alliance “would have to assess the situation first.”
“Article 5 of NATO's charter, which mandates collective defense, makes Ukraine's membership improbable while the conflict continues, as it would draw NATO into direct conflict with Russia,” wrote the author.
The neo-Nazi Kiev regime may be eyeing the upcoming NATO July summit in Washington for some breakthrough on the issue – but that won’t happen. It is “extremely unlikely” that the summit will produce concrete progress on the issue of Ukraine becoming the 33rd NATO member state, concluded the author of the publication.
He also reeled off a series of remarks offered up by US and NATO officials that confirm this.
"The President believes firmly that NATO is in Ukraine's future at some point," US National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said at a recent press conference. But first, Ukraine "has to win the war with Russia," he added on June 17.
In fact, US President Joe Biden said he was “not prepared for the NATO-isation of Ukraine,” in an interview with Time Magazine recently. Peace “doesn't mean NATO,” he said. He also acknowledged witnessing "significant corruption" in Ukraine on visits there during his term as vice president. Instead of NATO entry, the Kiev regime will have to settle for “security guarantees."
In effect, a plethora of US academics, legal experts and lawmakers have underscored in a series of publications that Ukraine's potential membership in the alliance wouldn't guarantee it more assistance than it enjoys today, even if Article 5 is invoked. They highlighted that the language of the treaty specifies that it is the responsibility of NATO member states and their legislatures to decide if and how they will come to the aid of other member countries.
Last June, Senator Rand Paul addressed the issue of Article 5's common defense provision to underscore that "an attack on one is an attack on all" does not automatically trigger a US military response.
"The Constitution grants to Congress the sole authority to determine where and when we send our sons and daughters to fight. We cannot delegate that responsibility to the president, the courts, an international body, or our allies," Paul said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has reiterated that Moscow considers Ukraine's continued non-aligned status vital to ending the years-long conflict. Kiev’s stated goal of joining the US-led alliance was among the Russia's reasons for launching its special military operation in February 2022.
On June 14, 2024, Putin said that Russia would halt its military operation and begin negotiations with Ukraine as soon as Kiev ordered troops out of the Russia-controlled territories and abandoned plans to join NATO.