NATO membership may become more realistic for Ukraine - diplomat Bryza

He expressed this opinion in an interview with Antin Borkovskyi, host of the Studio West program on Espreso TV.

"President Zelenskyy's Victory Plan has received mixed reactions both in Washington and in Europe. The new NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that it is an interesting plan, but he does not agree with everything. In my opinion, his reservations may relate to two of the five points of the plan. First, it is the extension of the range of Ukrainian missiles to the territory of Russia, which the United States still opposes. Secondly, it is a security guarantee in the form of NATO membership, which is currently unacceptable to the United States and Germany, and Rutte is well aware of this," commented Matthew Bryza.

According to him, last week there were signs of a possible revival of August discussions about a mutually agreed pause between Kyiv and Moscow on attacks on each other's energy infrastructure. President Zelenskyy noted that if such an agreement is reached, it could pave the way for broader peace talks with Russia.

"In addition, reports and discussions have begun to appear in the European media about the potential benefits of a land-for-peace deal between Ukraine and Russia. This agreement would involve some uncertainty about the status of the territories currently occupied by Russia, leaving open the question of their sovereignty, which should be resolved in the future. In such a scenario, Ukraine would need reliable security guarantees, and NATO membership may become a more realistic option," the diplomat said.

In his opinion, this may resemble the model of West Germany's (Federal Republic of Germany - ed.) accession to NATO during the Cold War, as Germany became a member of the Alliance even though East Germany (German Democratic Republic - ed.) was under the control of Soviet troops. At the time, everyone understood that the border between Germany and the GDR was temporary and that it would be settled in the near future.

"This idea has been actively advocated by former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen since 2019, and has also been discussed by former Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, along with my colleagues and mentors Dan Fried and Kurt Volker. It seems increasingly likely that the U.S. may reconsider its position on Ukraine's membership in NATO as part of a broader negotiation process, especially if Putin decides that the time has come to limit Russia's losses and it is time to secure the best possible deal. Such a security guarantee is extremely important for President Zelenskyy, as he fears that without NATO membership after a peace deal, Putin could use the pause to rearm and re-attack Ukraine in the future," Bryza concluded.

• On October 31, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shared the results of the fourth Ukraine-Northern Europe summit and said that all partner countries supported the Victory Plan.
• One of the points of the Plan is to invite Ukraine to join NATO.
• Andriy Yermak, head of the President's Office, assured that support for Ukraine's future full membership in the Alliance is growing among NATO members.