**Ukraine‘s NATO Bid: A Complicated Path**
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has made some important comments about the country‘s bid to join NATO. On December 1, he said that if Ukraine were to join the alliance, the collective defense principle of Article 5 may not apply to territories under active combat.
**Article 5: A Key Principle**
Article 5 is a core part of NATO’s agreement. It says that an attack on one member country is considered an attack on all member countries. This means that if Ukraine were to join NATO, the alliance would come to its defense in case of an attack.
**Occupied Territories and the War**
However, Zelensky said that this principle may not apply to Ukrainian territories occupied by Russian forces. He explained that other NATO countries might be hesitant to get involved in a war with Russia, fearing it could draw them into conflict.
**Ukraine’s Bidding Process**
Ukraine has been trying to join NATO since September 2022. The alliance said in July 2024 that Ukraine was on an “irreversible path” to full membership. However, there is still no clear timeline for when this might happen.
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