Ukraine joining NATO

Topic

A significant geopolitical development announced by the US administration, which the hosts view as a highly risky move that could escalate the Russia-Ukraine war.


First Mentioned

1/1/2026, 5:57:55 AM

Last Updated

1/1/2026, 5:59:52 AM

Research Retrieved

1/1/2026, 5:59:52 AM

Summary

The prospect of Ukraine joining NATO is viewed as an extremely dangerous development that could trigger Article 5 and potentially lead to World War III with Russia. This geopolitical update, attributed to Antony Blinken, was discussed in the context of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine War and the policies of the Joe Biden administration. The escalating conflict is also linked to broader geopolitical theories, such as the rise and decline of empires, which are influenced by factors like a significant debt bubble.

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    • Ukraine–NATO relations - Wikipedia

      See also: Minsk agreements, Normandy Format § Phases, and Trilateral Contact Group on Ukraine Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy was inaugurated on 20 May 2019. On 12 June 2020, Ukraine joined NATO's enhanced opportunity partner interoperability program. According to an official NATO statement, the new status "does not prejudge any decisions on NATO membership." [...] On 10 March 2018, NATO added Ukraine to the list of aspiring members (which also included Bosnia and Herzegovina and Georgia "Georgia (country)")). Several months later, in late June, Ukraine's parliament passed a National Security bill: the bill defined the principles of state policy on national security and defence as well as focusing on Ukraine's integration into the European security, economic, and legal systems; improvement in mutual relations with other states; and eventual membership in [...] Relations between Ukraine and NATO were formally established in 1992, when Ukraine joined the North Atlantic Cooperation Council after regaining its independence, later renamed the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council. On 22 and 23 February 1992, NATO secretary-general Manfred Wörner paid an official visit to Kyiv, and on 8 July 1992, Kravchuk visited NATO Headquarters in Brussels. An important event in the development of relations between Ukraine and NATO was the opening in September 1992 of the

    • Ukraine's Zelenskyy abandons hopes of joining NATO ...

      The move marks a major shift for Ukraine, which has fought to join NATO as a safeguard against Russian attacks and has such an aspiration included in its constitution. It also meets one of Russia's war aims, although Kyiv has so far held firm against ceding territory to Moscow. Zelenskyy said on Sunday that the U.S., and European and other partners' security guarantees instead of NATO membership were a compromise on Ukraine's side. [...] IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. # Ukraine's Zelenskyy abandons hopes of joining NATO ahead of peace talks The move is a major shift for Ukraine, which has fought to join NATO as a safeguard against Russian attacks. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a news conference in Brussels on Aug. 17. Ukrainian Presidency / Anadolu via Getty Images file Add NBC News to Google / Source: Reuters By Reuters

    • Relations with Ukraine | NATO Topic

      In response to Ukraine’s aspirations for NATO membership, Allies agreed at the 2008 Bucharest Summit that Ukraine will become a member of NATO. They also agreed that Ukraine’s next step on its way to membership was the Membership Action Plan (MAP), NATO’s programme of political, economic, defence, resource, security and legal reforms for aspirant countries. In 2009, the Annual National Programme was introduced as Ukraine’s key instrument to advance its Euro-Atlantic integration and related [...] Dialogue and cooperation started when newly independent Ukraine joined the North Atlantic Cooperation Council (1991) and the Partnership for Peace programme (1994). Relations were strengthened with the signing of the 1997 Charter on a Distinctive Partnership, and further enhanced in 2009 with the Declaration to Complement the Charter, which reaffirmed the decision by NATO Leaders at the 2008 Bucharest Summit that Ukraine will become a member of NATO. [...] In September 2020, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy approved Ukraine's new National Security Strategy, which provides for the development of the distinctive partnership with NATO with the aim of membership in NATO. In September 2022, following Russia’s illegal attempted annexations of Ukrainian territory, Ukraine reiterated its request for NATO membership.

    • Ukrainian NATO Membership | CFR Education

      Formally invite Ukraine to join NATO and begin accession talks. This is a high-risk, high-reward option. It offers Ukraine the strongest guarantee of security and could deter future conflict in Europe more broadly. However, it could also jeopardize potential peace negotiations and escalate tensions between NATO and Russia. At the worst, it could draw alliance members directly into the fighting, either in the current war or in a renewed conflict in the future. [...] Some NATO countries—particularly those nearest Russia in eastern Europe and the Baltic region—support Ukraine’s bid. They argue that inviting Ukraine to join NATO would offer the strongest message to Russia that its invasion of Ukraine was counterproductive. It would also signal that further aggression, against Ukraine or any NATO member, would mean war with NATO. Some members also claim that admitting Ukraine would strengthen NATO. Even with the casualties it has sustained, Ukraine has [...] However, other NATO members—including the United States—urge caution. They stress that admitting Ukraine into NATO cannot guarantee an end to Russian aggression. If deterrence failed, they point out that NATO members could be forced to choose between joining a future war with Russia or discrediting NATO’s core principle of collective defense. Critics also argue that the prospect of NATO membership for Ukraine in the future is an impediment to peace now. Russian President Vladimir Putin has

    • Ukraine gives up joining NATO in bid to shift the dial in ...

      Holly Ellyatt@HollyEllyatt WATCH LIVE Key Points Ukraine has said it's willing to give up its aspirations to join NATO in return for security guarantees in any future peace deal. The move marks a major policy shift for Kyiv, which has long coveted membership of the Western military alliance. Ukrainian membership of NATO, whose members are obliged to defend one another, was always unlikely due to Russian opposition. [...] Ukraine has said it's willing to give up its aspirations to join NATO in return for security guarantees, as part of a peace deal to end the almost four-year war with Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy offered to drop Kyiv's NATO dreams 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" during the talks, which are set to continue on Monday. [...] Despite Ukraine publicly abandoning its NATO bid, the chances of it joining the alliance were vanishingly thin. Several members were resistant to the idea, including Moscow-friendly Slovakia and Hungary. Even Ukraine's allies within NATO worried about poking the Russian bear beyond Ukraine's borders.