Why isn’t Ukraine a member of Nato?published at 16:27 Greenwich Mean Time 23 February
As we’ve been reporting, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he is willing to give up his presidency in exchange for Ukraine Nato membership.
He has long advocated for Ukraine to become a member, so where does Ukraine stand with Nato?
What is Nato?: The military alliance was formed in 1949 by 12 western countries, with an agreement that if one member is attacked, the others will help defend it. Today, Nato has 32 members across Europe and North America.
Nato’s newest entrant: The most recent entrant was Finland, which broke a longstanding policy of neutrality to join the alliance following the outbreak of war between Ukraine and Russia, with which it shares a land border.
Russian defiance: Russia has consistently opposed the idea of Ukraine becoming a member, citing concerns it would bring Nato forces too close to its borders. Recently, the Kremlin told Zelensky to “sober up” when he suggested Nato membership was part of his “victory plan”.
‘The long term’: Nato announced Ukraine could become a member back in 2008, but Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg negated this, saying Ukraine could join “in the long term” but not until after the war ended.
In today’s news conference, Zelensky says upcoming conversations with Europe and the US will put the topic Ukraine joining Nato “on the table”.
