According to Justin Logan, director of defense and foreign policy studies at the Cato Institute, this does not change the situation at all. “It's an attempt to appear reasonable.”
Logan and Andrew Michta, a professor of strategic studies at the University of Florida, believe that Ukraine's entry into NATO has long been unrealistic.
Experts say there are other ways countries can try to ensure Ukraine's security. US President Donald Trump can take on the same obligations that the United States has already undertaken to support Ukraine, such as supplying weapons and imposing sanctions against the aggressor country Russia, they say.
In turn, former foreign policy adviser in the administration of former US President Barack Obama, Brett Bruen, called such a concession to Ukraine “significant and significant.” He notes that the Russian Federation does not show any readiness to make concessions. The question is what Zelensky received in return for refusing to join NATO.
Bruen suggested that Trump may have promised to patrol Ukrainian skies or respond to air incursions. The United States could also increase military aid supplies if Russia resumes a large-scale military offensive, he said.
Context
The delegations of Ukraine and the United States have already held seven rounds of negotiations about the “peace plan” for resolving the Russian-Ukrainian war. In parallel, the American side is discussing this issue with the aggressor country of the Russian Federation.
Zelensky, in an interview with Bloomberg on December 8, said that elements of the US plan require further discussion on a number of “sensitive issues,” in particular, regarding territorial issues and security guarantees for Ukraine.
December 10 Trump had a “tense” telephone conversation with the leaders of France, Germany and Great Britain, urging them to put pressure on Zelensky to accept the terms of the “peace plan,” the WSJ reported. On the same day, Ukraine transferred to the American side a framework document of a “peace plan” of 20 main points, the president reported.
On December 13, the head of the Ukrainian state announced meetings in Berlin with Trump representatives and European partners on a “political agreement to end the war.” “Now the chance is significant,” the president noted.
Following talks on December 14 in Berlin, Zelensky announced his readiness to consider abandoning the country’s desire to join NATO in exchange for clear and legally binding security guarantees from the United States, Europe and partner countries.
