Ukraine: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has proposed that the regions of Ukraine currently under his control should be placed under the NATO umbrella to halt the ongoing conflict. Zelensky was asked about the chance of accepting NATO membership for only the territories Kyiv holds, to which he responded affirmatively, but on the condition that membership would first be extended to all of Ukraine, within its internationally recognised borders.
While Zelensky emphasised that Ukraine had not acquired any official proposal from NATO, he argued that only NATO membership for the entire country could equip the security necessary to prevent further Russian aggression. Zelensky stressed that partial membership, shielding only part of the country, would imply praise of Russian claims over the occupied regions.
Zelensky disregarded ceasefire proposals without robust mechanisms to prevent future Russian attacks, asserting that NATO membership alone could guarantee long-term peace and security for Ukraine. The idea of offering NATO membership to a divided country, akin to the post-war arrangement in West Germany, has been a concern in Western circles for over a year, though no formal proposals have materialised.
However, the likelihood of such a move remains uncertain, with Russian President Vladimir Putin continuing to pursue the full subjugation of Ukraine. At present, NATO involvement remains a distant prospect, with no indications that Russia would engage in any arrangement that could see part of Ukraine join the alliance.
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