Blow to Zelensky As NATO Shows No Sign of Endorsing Ukraine Membership

NATO showed no sign on Wednesday of inviting Ukraine to join the alliance soon, as members sought more details from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky about his "victory plan" to end the war with Russia.

The plan involves Ukraine's request for NATO to advance its "accelerated" membership application, submitted two years ago following Russia's invasion in an attempt to gain protection under NATO's collective security guarantee.

That guarantee, Article 5, ensures that all 32 NATO members will defend any member under attack, but Ukraine, as a partner, does not qualify at present.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte refrained from endorsing Zelensky's "victory plan," stating only that he and allies did "take note" of it. He avoided discussing when Ukraine might join but said Ukraine would eventually become a member.

"The plan has many aspects and many political and military issues we really need to hammer out with the Ukrainians to understand what is behind it, to see what we can do, what we cannot do," Rutte said at NATO headquarters in Brussels.

Rutte emphasized the need to focus on helping Ukraine regain territory and improve its negotiating position. "We are in close contact with allies, with Ukraine, to see how we can take next steps," he added, though he declined to provide details.

Zelensky is expected to present more of his plan to European Union leaders, most of whom are also NATO members. The push comes as Ukraine's forces struggle against better-resourced Russian troops, especially in the eastern Donetsk region. Kyiv relies on Western aid, which it says is coming too slowly.

Presenting his plan, Zelensky told lawmakers an invitation to NATO would demonstrate the allies' commitment. "An invitation is a strong decision that requires nothing but determination," he said.

Ukraine's NATO future has been discussed for 16 years. At the organization's summit in July, members declared Ukraine is on an "irreversible" path to membership. However, progress has been limited since NATO promised in 2008 that Ukraine and Georgia would one day join.

For now, NATO is in a holding pattern. The U.S., NATO's most powerful member, is preparing for a presidential election, and European allies expect little movement on Ukraine until a new president takes office. The U.S. and Germany are also concerned about being drawn into a broader war with nuclear-armed Russia, leading some to oppose Ukraine's membership until the conflict ends.

NATO diplomats also say Ukraine's borders must be clearly defined before joining to ensure there's no ambiguity regarding where Article 5 would apply. Russian forces currently control about 20% of Ukraine.

The Associated Press contributed to this report