Key Points
- Ukraine says it is willing to abandon its long-standing goal of joining NATO in exchange for firm security guarantees as part of a future peace deal.
- The move represents a major shift in Kyiv’s policy after years of pushing for membership in the Western military alliance.
- Ukraine’s joining NATO was always seen as unlikely due to strong Russian opposition and hesitation among some alliance members.
Ukraine (UKRN) has said it is prepared to give up its ambition of joining NATO in return for security guarantees, a significant concession aimed at ending the nearly four-year war with Russia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy raised the idea during five hours of talks with U.S. officials Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Berlin over the weekend. Witkoff said “a lot of progress was made,” and negotiations are expected to continue on Monday.
The proposal marks a major policy shift for Kyiv. For years, UKRN has pursued NATO membership, which would have placed it under the alliance’s Article 5 protection—requiring members to treat an attack on one as an attack on all.
Speaking on Sunday, Zelenskyy described the move as a compromise, acknowledging resistance from some Western partners to Ukraine’s NATO bid.
“From the very beginning, Ukraine’s conditions—or perhaps more accurately, our ambition—was NATO membership. And that would have provided real security guarantees,” Zelenskyy said in a WhatsApp chat with reporters. “Some partners from the United States and Europe did not support this direction.”
Instead, Zelenskyy said Ukraine is now seeking strong bilateral security guarantees, particularly from the United States and Europe.
“That is why today the bilateral security guarantees between Ukraine and the United States, specifically Article 5–like guarantees from the United States for us, and the security guarantees from our European colleagues, as well as from countries such as Canada and Japan, provide an opportunity to prevent another outbreak of Russian aggression,” he said.
Why Ukraine Is Pushing for Strong Western Security Guarantees
Kyiv believes a coordinated security framework is the most effective way to deter renewed Russian aggression.
Article 5–like U.S. guarantees
Ukraine sees bilateral security commitments from the United States—similar in effect to NATO’s Article 5—as the cornerstone of credible deterrence.
European collective backing
Security guarantees from European allies reinforce regional stability and signal long-term political and military commitment.
Expanded global support
Commitments from partners such as Canada and Japan broaden the coalition, strengthening Ukraine’s international security architecture.
The strategic objective
Ukrainian officials argue that these layered guarantees create a credible deterrent, reducing the risk of another outbreak of Russian aggression.
“And this already is a compromise on our part.”
Even before Kyiv’s latest offer, Ukraine’s chances of joining NATO were slim. Several alliance members, including Slovakia and Hungary, were opposed, while others worried that expanding NATO could further escalate tensions with Moscow.
Russia has long objected to Ukraine’s NATO ambitions, arguing that the alliance’s eastward expansion was one of the reasons it launched what it calls a “special military operation” against Ukraine in 2022.
Ukraine has insisted that any peace agreement must include concrete security guarantees in place of NATO membership. That demand remains a key sticking point in talks with Moscow, which is resisting the involvement of Ukraine’s allies in any peacekeeping force inside the country.
Negotiations over a draft peace agreement are set to continue on Monday. Zelenskyy aide Dmytro Lytvyn said the president would comment once talks conclude, according to Reuters.
The Kremlin said Monday it expects to be briefed later on the outcome of the latest discussions between UKRN and the United States.
Asked about Ukraine potentially dropping its NATO bid and what security guarantees Russia might accept, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the issue remains central to the negotiations.
“This issue is one of the cornerstones,” Peskov said. “Of course, it requires special discussion against the background of all the others. But that is precisely what the negotiation process consists of—we do not want to engage in megaphone diplomacy.”
