Seven countries oppose Ukraine's invitation to NATO, including US and Germany

At least seven NATO member states, including key members the United States and Germany, oppose Ukraine's bid for membership, according to a report by Politico on Wednesday

The European edition of Politico, citing unnamed sources, reported that Ukraine's bid for NATO membership also faces opposition from Hungary, Slovakia, Belgium, Slovenia, and Spain.

The report notes that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's "Victory Plan," which relies on Ukraine receiving a NATO membership invitation, faces significant hurdles as some key Alliance members are not interested in this move.

Four anonymous US and NATO officials told Politico that Germany and the US are among the main countries that are not rushing to respond to Zelenskyy's call for an immediate invitation to the Alliance.

Key NATO members are reportedly "concerned" about the possibility of being drawn into a war with Russia.

Additionally, Hungary and Slovakia are blocking such an invitation, with their populist leaders generally taking a pro-Kremlin stance. For instance, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has blocked EU funds for arming Ukraine and has withdrawn from Alliance programs that send lethal aid to Kyiv.

In a recent post, Orban called Zelenskyy's Victory Plan "more than frightening," and his Slovak counterpart, Robert Fico, stated that allowing Ukraine to join NATO "would be a good basis for World War III" and vowed never to agree to it.

Meanwhile, some countries are not eager to act quickly on Ukraine's request but are content to "hide in the shadows," Politico writes.

Specifically, Belgium, Slovenia, and Spain are "hiding behind the US and Germany," according to a NATO source cited by Politico. Another unnamed official stated that these countries theoretically support Ukraine's NATO invitation but will start to publicly oppose the idea when it comes to practice.

This puts these countries at odds with nations like Poland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, which are more enthusiastic about inviting Ukraine. For example, Warsaw advocates for "opening up a NATO perspective for Ukraine," as stated by Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

However, "these smaller countries are having to make way for the united front of Berlin and Washington," the report noted.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, during US President Joe Biden's visit to Berlin, stated: "We are making sure that NATO does not become a party to the war, so that this war does not turn into a much greater catastrophe."

Officials speaking to Politico tried to emphasize that both the US and Germany do not rule out Ukraine's eventual NATO membership.

The US administration has long maintained that Ukraine's NATO membership will occur after the end of the Russian war, but no timeline has been set to "avoid enraging" Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, Politico noted.

An unnamed high-ranking US official told the media that the Biden administration believes most European capitals will not support such a move by NATO in the short term. Additionally, any future invitation for Ukraine to join the Alliance will be linked to necessary reforms to combat corruption within Ukraine.

The White House is also not surprised that Zelenskyy may intensify his campaign to secure NATO commitments before the US elections, fearing that if Republican Donald Trump wins, he will drastically cut aid to Kyiv.

On October 17, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte stated that Ukraine will become the 33rd or 34th member of the Alliance—either the next or the one after that.

On October 23, the US Permanent Representative to NATO, Julianne Smith, stated that the United States is not yet ready to invite Ukraine to the Alliance.

Meanwhile, the speaker of the Latvian Saeima expressed hope that Ukraine will be invited to join NATO by 2025.