this post was submitted on 14 Dec 2025
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday voiced readiness to drop his country’s bid to join NATO in exchange for Western security guarantees, but rejected the U.S. push for ceding territory to Russia as he held talks with U.S. envoys on ending the war.

Zelenskyy sat down with U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. The Ukrainian leader posted pictures of the negotiating table with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz sitting next to him facing the U.S. delegation.

Responding to journalists’ questions in audio clips on a WhatsApp group chat before the talks, Zelenskyy said that since the U.S. and some European nations had rejected Ukraine’s push to join NATO, Kyiv expects the West to offer a set of guarantees similar to those offered to the alliance members.

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[–] Typhoon@lemmy.ca 81 points 2 days ago (4 children)

Zelenskyy emphasized that any security assurances would need to be legally binding and supported by the U.S. Congress

The US can not be trusted to uphold anything they sign. It doesn't matter if Congress signs or not. We have countless examples of them backing down and letting Trump do whatever he wants.

The US is not an ally. They will not help you. Don't give up a shot at NATO for hollow promises.

[–] frongt@lemmy.zip 29 points 2 days ago (1 children)

If they drop the NATO application now, they can always start it over later. If they give up territory, they'll have to fight to take it back.

[–] Impound4017@sh.itjust.works -1 points 2 days ago

Plus, without the US onside, NATO does not have the stocks at the moment to keep supplying Ukraine in the way they would need to take back all of their lost territory, and you can’t become a member of NATO if you have an ongoing border dispute. Unless Ukraine is willing to cede its claims to the regions occupied/annexed since 2022 (as well as Crimea), they can’t join NATO now, and they can’t re-take that territory (for now) without the US helping.

If defense production can adequately ramp in the rest of NATO, then that might change, but for the moment this seems like a decent option if it keeps US friendly and options open depending on how things pan out. They aren’t really sacrificing anything that was a realistic prospect in the short term anyways, as far as their strategic goals are concerned.

[–] devolution@lemmy.world 6 points 2 days ago

Depends on the administration. That basically means US can't be trusted be cause it's bipolar.

[–] grue@lemmy.world 20 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

WTF? Joining NATO is the security guarantee! It should be 1000% crystal obvious to everybody by now that anything less is inadequate.

The premise makes no fucking sense, aside from being a reflection of negotiating with irrational morons.

[–] lauha@lemmy.world 10 points 2 days ago

If they drop the NATO membership, I hope they just sign identical but individual security guarantees to Nato.

[–] AshMan85@lemmy.world 31 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Like the same security guarantees they were already given?

[–] Attacker94@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

They were never given security guarantees, they were given security assurances, which is kind of the issue that led to this. Granted all geopolitics is down to the whims of leaders upholding agreements, but on paper a security guarantee is near automatic cobeligeration with the defending party while a security assurance is in no way as heavy handed. I would say that the Ukrainian goal is to have an agreement that will give them dependable allies in a future conflict.

[–] ristoril_zip@lemmy.zip 6 points 2 days ago

I mean they should absolutely abandon their NATO bid and stick to it with the same zeal that Russia and the West stuck to their commitments when Ukraine denuclearized...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukraine_and_weapons_of_mass_destruction

[–] A_A@lemmy.world 4 points 2 days ago

"Coalition of the willing" will supersede NATO anyway, and Ukraine, obviously, is at its roots. Let USA believe whatever to gain time and peanuts.