Ukraine Offers NATO Ambition as Trade-Off for Security Guarantees Ahead of Berlin Peace Talks

By Blessing Nweke

Ukraine has relinquished its long-held ambition of joining the NATO military alliance in exchange for binding Western security guarantees, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday, marking a major shift as Kyiv seeks a path to end the war with Russia.

Speaking ahead of talks with U.S. envoys and European leaders in Berlin, Zelenskyy said bilateral and multilateral guarantees from the United States, European partners and allies such as Canada and Japan could substitute for NATO’s collective defense clause. He described the move as a compromise by Ukraine, whose desire to join NATO is enshrined in its constitution and has been central to its defense strategy since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.

“From the very beginning, Ukraine’s desire was to join NATO, these are real security guarantees,” Zelenskyy said. “But some partners from the U.S. and Europe did not support this direction. Thus today, Article 5-like guarantees from the U.S. and security guarantees from European colleagues are an opportunity to prevent another Russian invasion.”

Russia has long demanded that Ukraine renounce its NATO ambitions, remain neutral and bar NATO troops from its territory. Moscow also insists Kyiv withdraw from areas of eastern Ukraine still under its control. Russian officials have previously said President Vladimir Putin wants written assurances that NATO will not expand eastward.

The talks in Berlin, hosted by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, come amid renewed U.S. pressure for a negotiated settlement. A U.S. official said President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner are traveling to Germany, signaling Washington sees potential progress nearly four years into the conflict.

Zelenskyy said negotiators are discussing a 20-point plan that could culminate in a ceasefire, possibly along current front lines, though Kyiv is not holding direct talks with Moscow. He accused Russia of prolonging the war through continued strikes on cities and critical infrastructure, leaving hundreds of thousands without power.

European allies have called the moment critical for Ukraine’s future, as they work to refine U.S. proposals and explore using frozen Russian assets to support Kyiv.