NATO membership is the "cheapest" possible security guarantee for Ukraine and a chance for U.S. President Donald Trump to score a geopolitical victory over Russian President Vladimir Putin, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with the Associated Press (AP) on Feb. 1.
The question of Kyiv's future accession to the Alliance is likely a key point of contention in the expected Russia-Ukraine peace negotiations, which Trump has pledged to initiate within the next few months.
NATO membership is the best possible security guarantee for Ukraine and the "cheapest" option for Western allies, Zelensky told the AP.
"I really believe that these are the cheapest security guarantees that Ukraine can get, the cheapest for everyone," he said.
"It will be a signal that it is not for Russia to decide who should be in NATO and who should not, but for the United States of America to decide. I think this is a great victory for Trump."
Ukraine officially applied to join NATO in September 2022 following Russia's full-scale invasion. While NATO members asserted at the 2024 summit in Washington, D.C. that Ukraine's path to membership is "irreversible," they have yet to extend a formal invitation.
Russian propaganda narratives frequently cite Ukraine's potential NATO membership as a justification for the invasion.
Trump himself has echoed this talking point, saying that former President Joe Biden's support for Ukraine's NATO aspirations provoked the full-scale war.
"That's been like written in stone," Trump said on Jan. 7, referring to Russia's opposition to Ukraine joining the Alliance.
"And Biden said, 'No, they should be able to join NATO.' Then Russia has somebody right on their doorstep. I could understand (Russia's) feelings about that."
Moscow has said that a ban on Ukraine's entry to NATO is a key condition of any ceasefire agreement.
Ukrainian officials, including Zelensky, have disputed Trump's narrative and dismissed Russia's demands. Ukraine's Foreign Ministry called Russia's proposed ban "utter bul***it" in a Jan. 24 statement.
Zelensky told the AP that Ukraine's accession to the Alliance would be mutually beneficial to Kyiv and to member states. The addition of Ukrainian defense forces would also be an asset to NATO, potentially allowing the U.S. to withdraw its troops stationed overseas.
French President Emmanuel Macron's proposal to deploy European peacekeepers to Ukraine to monitor a ceasefire is also being discussed, Zelensky said. Questions remain as to its feasability, and it would have to be backed by other security measures.
"That's not enough," Zelensky said.
"Imagine, there is a contingent. The question is who is in charge? Who is the main one? What will they do if there are Russian strikes? Missiles, disembarkation, attack from the sea, crossing of the land borderline, offensive. What will they do? What are their mandates?"
Macron and Zelensky are "still in the process of this dialogue," the president said.
Daniel Kochis
(Updated: )
