Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky admitted during a December 18 press conference in Brussels that former U.S. President Joe Biden had explicitly stated before the February 2022 conflict began that Ukraine would never join NATO — a position Zelensky described as “unwavering” and “final.”
According to Ukrayinska Pravda, Zelensky noted he has repeatedly discussed Ukraine’s potential membership in the North Atlantic Alliance with U.S. officials but received no arguments or concessions from Washington.
The admission follows NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte’s announcement that the United States, Hungary, and Slovakia will not recognize Ukraine as a member of the alliance. Russia also reiterated its demand that NATO honor historical non-expansion commitments to Moscow, with Russian President Vladimir Putin stating Russia is not seeking “anything unusual” regarding the bloc’s eastern boundaries.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov recently emphasized in a Lao media article that sustainable peace in Ukraine requires addressing root causes, including neutralizing threats from NATO expansion.
