Zelensky Urges NATO For Security Guarantees As Sweden And Finland Invited To Join Alliance

Topline

In what appears to be a shift in diplomatic strategy, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asked NATO on Wednesday whether Ukraine has “not paid enough” to join the alliance—one day after Finland and Sweden reached a deal with Turkey that paves the way for the Scandinavian countries to join NATO.

Speaking at NATO’s summit in Madrid, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky indicated he would be … [+] open to joining the alliance (Photo by Hannibal Hanschke/Getty Images)

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Key Facts

Speaking at NATO’s summit in Madrid Wednesday morning, Zelensky said Ukraine needs “security guarantees” and that NATO needs “to find a place for Ukraine in the common security space.”

Zelensky’s comments are a shift from a statement he made in March that he had “cooled down” on talks to join the alliance.

The Ukrainian president’s statement follows an agreement between Finland, Sweden and Turkey on Tuesday to allow the two Scandinavian countries into NATO, in return for their cooperation on counter-terrorism initatives in Turkey.

Although Zelensky didn’t directly pose the question of joining NATO, he said Ukraine’s neighbors in Eastern Europe “are in favor of Ukraine’s membership in NATO,” as Russia’s war in Ukraine enters its fourth month, with the civilian death toll rising to 4,731, according to Statista.

Crucial Quote

Zelensky told NATO on Wednesday “a country that is not a member of NATO, albeit with your support, has been holding back a state for more than four months, which you all officially identify as the main threat to yourself. And we are holding back Russia from destroying us and from destroying you.”

Key Background

Zelensky’s softening towards joining NATO in March stemmed from fears of increased Russian retaliation, as Russia’s war was entering its second month, with bombings along the eastern regions and in the capital city Kyiv. Russian President Vladimir Putin said before the invasion his goal was to guarantee NATO would never admit Ukraine or any former Soviet state into the alliance, calling Ukrainians and Russians “one people” and a “single whole.” In an interview with ABC News, Zelensky said he does not want to be president of a “country which is begging something on its knees.” Ukraine has since accepted “billions of dollars” in military equipment from NATO countries, including $54 billion in military and humanitarian aid from the United States. On Monday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg pledged an increase of 260,000 high-readiness troops (to 300,000), in response to Russia’s continued war.

Chief Critic

Russian Foreign Affairs Deputy Minister Sergei Ryabkov on Tuesday called the expansion of NATO “destabilizing.”

Tangent

NATO formally invited Finland and Sweden to join the alliance Wednesday, in a move that would increase the alliance’s membership from 30 countries to 32 – a direct response to Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine, and a rebuke of Putin’s threats of a military response if they join NATO. On Tuesday, Jens Stoltenberg, NATO’s Secretary General, called Russia the “most significant and direct threat” to NATO’s security, saying, “Putin is getting more NATO on these borders, so what he gets is the opposite of what he actually demanded.”