Other Nato members apart from the US are wary of membership for Ukraine – and it is understood that Ukraine itself sees it as unrealistic.
The Kremlin has always been fiercely opposed, too. It is one reason why Russia started this war in the first place.
It is possible the US envoys were exploring Ukraine’s “red lines” when it comes to occupied land in the Donbas. Zelensky recently said that the two American mediators believed Kyiv only had to cede territory to achieve peace and were applying pressure, keen to do a deal as soon as possible.
Ukraine is sure that Russia’s ambitions are far greater and has long seen Nato as its only sure protection.
So it is also possible that Zelensky made this suggestion public to re-open a discussion that had been considered all but closed.
He said the idea was now “back on the agenda” as part of an “extremely difficult conversation” on European security in his latest remarks.
It also looks like Ukrainian push-back against Russia’s renewed hardline stance. Moscow now talks about a “new European security architecture”, which is long-standing Russian code for a weaker Nato.
The issue appears to have been the main focus at the latest round of talks between Ukraine, Russia and the US in Abu Dhabi this week.
Hours after Zelensky’s remarks, Jared Kushner appeared keen to dampen down any US offer of Nato membership for Ukraine, urging “confidentiality” in a sensitive process.
He said that “maximalist” proposals had been reported from the negotiations, along with “strong political rhetoric”.
In what read like a reproach to Kyiv, Kushner referred to “private discussions” aimed at exploring new ideas about ending what he called a “horrible war”.
He said the hope was that those ideas might lead to new proposals or breakthroughs.
Russia currently occupies roughly a fifth of Ukrainian territory, including most of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions that compose the Donbas.
It has insisted again that it will not agree to a ceasefire until a final peace deal is in place that would include Ukraine ceding control of those parts of the Donbas Russian troops have not captured, in addition to the Crimean peninsula Moscow annexed illegally in 2014.
The latest round of talks come after a period of fraught relations between Kyiv and Washington over Ukrainian strikes on oil facilities deep inside Russia, which US President Donald Trump had asked Ukraine to pause to facilitate the supply of Russian diesel to ease global fuel prices.
Zelensky then accused US officials of limiting Ukraine’s Starlink internet servicewhich it uses to co-ordinate defensive operations, while Trump said it was “time for Ukraine to get a new president” and called for fresh elections.
Elections are suspended while Ukraine remains under martial law, but Zelensky has previously said he was willing to hold them within months of a peace deal being reached and would give up the presidency in exchange for Nato membership.
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
