**Ukraine‘s NATO Bid Hits a Roadblock**
Ukraine’s dream of joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has hit a major obstacle. Despite being one of Russia’s closest neighbors, Ukraine is not getting an invitation to join the military alliance.
The reason behind this decision is not clear-cut. US President Joe Biden’s administration has been against Ukraine’s membership for some time now. In fact, previous US President Donald Trump even said that NATO membership would be a bad idea for Ukraine, and it might have contributed to the start of the war between Russia and Ukraine.
**US Opposition**
The US is one of the main backers of NATO, but its opposition to Ukraine’s membership has raised eyebrows. “You can forget about (NATO membership). That’s probably the reason the whole thing (war) started,” Trump said in February 2023.
**Experts Weigh In**
Experts agree that Moscow’s stance on Ukraine is a significant obstacle to the country joining NATO. Mark Webber, a non-resident associate fellow at the NATO Defense College, told the Kyiv Independent that the only real reason for keeping Kyiv out is Russia’s opposition.
“The Biden administration was always fearful of escalation in the conflict with Russia,” Webber said. “The Trump administration has its own reasons, probably linked to any deal it’s trying to strike with Moscow on a ceasefire.”
**NATO Requirements**
To join NATO, a country must meet certain requirements, such as support for democracy, development of a market economy, and civilian control of the armed forces. Ukraine has been working towards these goals, but its membership bid has been rejected.
In 2008, Ukraine applied to receive a Membership Action Plan (MAP), which is the first step towards joining NATO. However, under pressure from Russia, NATO members rejected Ukraine’s aspirations to join the alliance.
**Russian Influence**
Stefan Wolff, professor of international security at the University of Birmingham, believes that Russia feels threatened by Ukraine’s potential membership in NATO. “Russia, arguably, feels more threatened by Ukrainian NATO membership because (Vladimir) Putin clearly cannot accept that Ukraine ‘turns against’ Russia,” Wolff said.
**Western Bloc Divided**
The decision to deny Ukraine NATO membership has divided the Western bloc. While some countries like Finland and Sweden are close to Russia but have not been banned from joining NATO, others like the US and Germany have expressed opposition to Ukraine’s membership bid.
It remains to be seen whether this position will change under a new government in Germany or with prime ministers Robert Fico and Viktor Orban in office in Slovakia and Hungary.