Now Reading: Ukraine will never join NATO, says former top commander
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Ukraine will never join NATO, says former top commander
Valery Zaluzhnyi, Ukraine’s former top military commander and now ambassador to Britain, said on Monday that Ukraine will never join NATO because it does not meet the alliance's military standards. Quoted by…
The Story in Brief
Valery Zaluzhnyi, Ukraine’s former top military commander and now ambassador to Britain, said on Monday that Ukraine will never join NATO because it does not meet the alliance's military standards. Quoted by outlet Evropeiska Pravda, Zaluzhnyi said he worked for 12 years toward NATO standards but only heard tales that membership was imminent. He called it impossible given Ukraine's level of military development.
Ukraine’s constitution enshrines NATO membership as a strategic goal, but Russia has rejected any such possibility. Zaluzhnyi was dismissed as top commander in 2024 after differences with President Zelenskyy. Opinion surveys put his trust rating roughly on par with Zelenskyy and former Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov.
The Indian Opinion
Western officials keep saying Ukraine’s NATO path is open, but Zaluzhnyi’s blunt assessment suggests the alliance has no intention of admitting it. For years, NATO avoided committing to a timetable, citing needed reforms. Now a former insider says the goal is impossible under current military standards. The real test will be whether Ukraine formally drops the constitutional clause or lets the fiction continue until after the war ends.
Source: thehindu.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
