Ukraine may not join NATO after all as President Volodymyr Zelensky dropped a major hint through his comments. In a video call with the UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force on Tuesday, the president appears to shift from joining NATO.
“For years we have been hearing about how the door is supposedly open but now we hear that we cannot enter. And it is true, and it must be acknowledged,” he said.
“I am glad that our people are beginning to understand this and rely on themselves and on our partners who assist us,” he added.
Initially, Ukraine expressed its intention to join NATO as a partner. This is one step away from full membership to NATO. This was also the initial reason Russian President Vladimir launched the “special military operation”.
US Secretary of State Tony Blinken called it a “reflection of reality” for Zelensky. The signal was sent through the message that he will not join NATO anytime soon.
“I don’t think that’s a concession. I think first of all it’s a reflection of reality that even before this aggression by Russia, Ukraine was not going to get into NATO tomorrow. All the more reason why as we’ve seen when Putin was saying that their concerns about Ukraine centered on its admission to NATO, that was wrong. That was a lie,” Blinken said.
Blinken said that Putin has demonstrated that this war in Ukraine is about “denying Ukraine its independent existence.”
Blinken called the US support for Ukraine “extraordinary”. He also said that support will continue “to make sure that Ukraine has the means to defend itself.”
Blinken would not detail what consequences China would face if they provide military or economic support to Russia. However, he said the US has “made very clear that is not something we are going to face sitting down.”