Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has urged NATO counterparts to extend a membership invitation during next week’s meeting in Brussels.
This request is part of Kyiv’s broader “victory plan,” unveiled by President Volodymyr Zelensky, aiming to end Russia’s war on Ukraine. While Ukraine acknowledges that NATO membership is unlikely before the war ends, it views an invitation as a strong message to Russian President Vladimir Putin that his efforts to block Ukraine’s NATO ambitions have failed.
NATO has affirmed Ukraine’s irreversible path toward membership but has yet to issue a formal invitation or timeline. Some NATO diplomats cite a lack of consensus among all 32 member states.
Minister Sybiha, however, argued in a letter written in English that the current moment is ideal for such an invitation. He highlighted Russia’s escalating aggression, including the involvement of North Korean troops and weapons testing in Ukraine, as reasons for NATO to act decisively.
“I urge you to support the decision to invite Ukraine to join the Alliance as one of the outcomes of the NATO Foreign Ministers’ meeting on December 3-4, 2024,” he wrote.
