Ukraine’s ascension to NATO ultimately rests on U.S. President Donald Trump’s will, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 22.
"Everything depends on the United States. If Trump is ready to see Ukraine in NATO, we will be in NATO, everyone will be in favor. If President Trump is not ready to see us in NATO, we will not be in NATO," Zelensky told journalists.
Zelensky also named four countries — Germany, Hungary, Slovakia, and the United States— that currently do not want Ukraine to join the military alliance. Politico reported last year that other countries, such as Belgium, Slovenia, or Spain, are also in opposition, even though they are less vocal about their stance.
There is little evidence that the new Trump administration would be more open to accepting Ukraine into NATO than former U.S. President Joe Biden. Trump even attacked Biden over alleged support for Kyiv's aspirations, claiming it provoked Russia's full-scale invasion.
Ukraine did not obtain any definitive commitments from Western partners on its NATO membership ahead of the full-scale invasion and, as of 2025, has yet to receive a membership invitation.
A report by The Wall Street Journal has previously suggested that Trump’s team was exploring a plan to delay Ukraine’s NATO membership by at least 20 years in exchange for Western arms supplies and European peacekeepers to monitor a potential ceasefire with Russia.
Moscow has already rejected the proposal, with Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly seeking a permanent ban on Ukraine's entry into the alliance in expected talks with Trump.
Kyiv submitted its application to join in September 2022, and in July 2024, the alliance affirmed Ukraine's "irreversible path to full Euro-Atlantic integration, including NATO membership."
Martin Fornusek
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