The United States is reportedly the primary opposition to Ukraine’s potential membership in NATO, according to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who stated that many other countries within the bloc also resist Kiev’s bid for membership. Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky’s so-called ‘victory plan,’ which emphasizes NATO accession, has been met with resistance by the US and other NATO member states.
Erdogan explained to NBC News that “the US, first and foremost, does not want to see Ukraine as a NATO member. And many NATO countries do not want Ukraine to be a member-state.” While in the US promoting his plan, Zelensky is set to meet with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday.
Erdogan highlighted that decisions regarding NATO expansion are made collectively by all member states, after taking into consideration the views of each nation. When directly asked if Turkey would accept Ukraine into the alliance, he responded, “we are going to follow the developments, the deliberations, and reach a final decision accordingly. These are not decisions to be rushed in an excited way.
Ties between Turkey and Russia are multidimensional and have been expanding economically every day, according to Erdogan. A unanimous decision by all members is required for NATO expansion, as evidenced by the recent accession of Finland and Sweden, who faced initial opposition from Turkey.
A senior US State Department official stated that Zelensky’s ‘victory plan’ aims to assure the Ukrainian population that they will be welcomed into Western institutions like the EU and NATO if they continue fighting Russia or if a negotiated settlement with Moscow is reached. Although NATO declared in 2008 that Ukraine, along with Georgia, would join the bloc at some point, no specific timeline for accession has been given.
Moscow views NATO as hostile and opposes its eastward expansion, pointing to Kiev’s aspirations of joining the alliance as one of the main reasons for launching its military operation against Ukraine in February 2022.