WASHINGTON – Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy proved to be a deft navigator of international relations in defense of his war-torn country, publicly cajoling and sometimes complaining loudly to obtain the military assistance needed to defend against Russian invasion.
But as he watches this week’s summit of NATO leaders In Washington, its most coveted prize – membership of the military alliance – remains elusive. The European and North American countries that make up NATO are in no rush to admit Ukraine, especially while it is involved in active hostilities with Russia that could draw them into a wider war.
Zelenskyy, who was feted as a defender of democracy in Washington after Russia’s invasion in 2022 but was forced to plead his case for aid to US lawmakers last year, will once again find himself in the American capital as a lady of honor.
At the NATO summit, he will try to navigate a tumultuous American political landscape, while also President Joe Biden tries to show his strength on the world stage and ability to continue leading the most important member of the alliance after an unstable performance in the debate against former president Donald Trump.
A NATO skeptic, Trump criticized allies for failing to meet defense spending targets and raised concerns in Europe about continued U.S. support for NATO and Ukraine. His Republican supporters in Congress were responsible for a months-long delay in US military assistance, which allowed Russia to gain ground against Ukraine’s depleted forces.
The stakes for Zelenskyy have never been higher. He arrived in Washington on Tuesday, a day after Russia unleashed its heaviest shelling of Kyiv in almost four months and one of the deadliest of the war, which destroyed a wing of Ukraine’s largest children’s hospital.
In this context, Zelenskyy, who will have a separate meeting with Biden on Thursday, again made an urgent appeal for additional air defenses shortly after arriving in Washington. He and his wife laid sheaves of wheat wrapped in Ukrainian flags at a memorial to the millions of people who died in Ukraine. man-made famine of the 1930s under Soviet leader Josef Stalin.
“We are fighting for more air defense systems for Ukraine and I am confident that we will be successful,” he wrote on the social platform X. “We are also striving to secure more aircraft, including F-16s. Additionally, we are pushing for greater security.”
U.S. and allied officials say he can expect to receive a significant package of additional military assistance, especially air defense systems, including what national security adviser Jake Sullivan said would be F-16 fighter jets.
But an invitation to join the alliance is not in the cards, even as Russia’s latest attacks have galvanized support for their country.
“We would like to see greater determination from our partners and hear resolute responses to these attacks,” Zelenskyy said Monday in Poland before flying to the USA
Secretary of State Antony Blinken, meeting with Ukraine’s foreign minister on Tuesday, said the summit would further strengthen Ukraine’s ties to NATO and “its path to membership.” He highlighted the “despicable” Russian attack on the children’s hospital.
Foreign Affairs Minister Dmytro Kuleba said the hospital strike “practically sets the agenda for today’s meeting.”
In the coming days, Zelenskyy will hear a chorus of support from countries that have poured weapons into his country, despite recent damaging delays by the US and Europe in greenlighting more aid.
“It is critical that the world continues to support Ukraine at this important moment and that we do not ignore Russian aggression,” Biden said in a statement late on Monday, asserting that U.S. support for Ukraine is “unwavering.”
“Together with our allies, we will announce new steps to strengthen Ukraine’s air defenses to help protect its cities and civilians from Russian attacks,” Biden said. “The United States stands with the people of Ukraine.”
Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany, whose country is the second richest in NATO, also expressed solidarity with Ukraine. “Germany stands unwaveringly alongside Ukrainians, especially in these difficult times,” he said.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said last week that the US would announce an additional $2.3 billion in security assistance for Ukraine, including anti-tank weapons, interceptors and ammunition for the Patriot and other air defense systems. .
In a small first step at the start of the summit on Tuesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said NATO allies would provide more than $7 million worth of personal protective equipment, uniforms and boots specifically for Ukrainian female soldiers.
However, the allies will once again not offer a guaranteed deadline for Ukraine’s NATO membership.
Instead, they will present Zelenskyy with what officials call a “bridge to membership,” which will reportedly outline specific tasks, including governmental, economic and rule of law reforms, that Ukraine must complete to join.
But taking these steps will not be enough – NATO will not admit a new member until the conflict with Russia is resolved.
Many in Ukraine see NATO membership as the only way to protect themselves from future Russian aggression should the war end. But the years-long conflict, which cost thousands of Ukrainian lives, has left many frustrated and skeptical about the possibility of their country ever joining the Western alliance.
While Zelenskyy has largely been a successful politician on the world stage, he is struggling to maintain his popularity in Ukraine, which has waned in part due to lingering questions about corruption, analysts say.
Internally, Ukrainians not only demand from their leader an effective defense against Russia, but they also want to see their government reformed with reliable and corruption-free institutions.
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AP writer Hanna Arhirova in Kyiv, Ukraine contributed.
This story originally appeared on ABCNews.go.com read the full story
