THE HAGUE — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is making a strong case for Ukraine’s NATO membership as he prepares for a crucial meeting with Donald Trump in The Hague on Wednesday.
Despite Washington’s current stance against Ukraine’s bid, Zelenskyy emphasized on Tuesday that joining the alliance would be mutually beneficial, asserting that Ukraine’s direction towards NATO remains unchanged. He highlighted Ukraine’s capacity to produce 8 million drones annually and its decade of combat experience, telling Sky News, “It is an advantageous proposal for NATO today to have an ally like Ukraine, with NATO weapons, with new technology.”
This year’s NATO summit, where member countries will commit to increasing defense spending to 5% of economic output by 2035, will focus on a broad pledge of continued support for Kyiv, rather than a direct path to NATO, according to alliance officials. This follows last year’s summit pledge to back Ukraine’s “irreversible path” to the alliance.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte acknowledged efforts to “build that bridge” for Ukraine, noting that European and Canadian members have committed €35 billion in aid this year. However, the U.S. under Trump has not requested new military aid for Ukraine and has previously ruled out Ukraine’s NATO accession, a topic likely to surface in Wednesday’s meeting.
Zelenskyy also used his platform in the Netherlands to warn the Dutch parliament about Russia’s potential for “destructive operations on NATO territory,” stressing the importance of defense solidarity against Moscow’s deceptive tactics.
