**Ukraine‘s NATO Prospects Depend on Trump, Zelensky Says**
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has stated that Ukraine’s accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) ultimately depends on U.S. President Donald Trump‘s will.
Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Zelensky said: “Everything depends on the United States. If Trump is ready to see Ukraine in NATO, we will be in NATO, everyone will be in favor. If President Trump is not ready to see us in NATO, we will not be in NATO.”
Zelensky also named four countries that currently do not want Ukraine to join NATO: Germany, Hungary, Slovakia, and the United States.
**No Clear Commitment from Western Partners**
There has been little evidence that the new Trump administration would be more open to accepting Ukraine into NATO than former U.S. President Joe Biden. In fact, Trump has even attacked Biden over alleged support for Kyiv’s aspirations, claiming it provoked Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Ukraine did not obtain any definitive commitments from Western partners on its NATO membership ahead of the full-scale invasion and, as of 2025, has yet to receive a membership invitation.
**Russian Rejection**
A report by The Wall Street Journal has previously suggested that Trump’s team was exploring a plan to delay Ukraine’s NATO membership by at least 20 years in exchange for Western arms supplies and European peacekeepers to monitor a potential ceasefire with Russia. Moscow has already rejected the proposal, with Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly seeking a permanent ban on Ukraine’s entry into the alliance in expected talks with Trump.
**Conflict Updates**
Russian attacks across Ukraine killed at least two people and injured at least 29 over the past day, regional authorities reported on Jan. 22.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that he would “use this position at the United Nations to support (Trump’s) strategy and give him maximum flexibility to bring this to a resolution.”
A freeze on USAID funds could affect Ukraine’s ability to rebuild damaged energy infrastructure, conduct demining operations, and fund civil society programs, officials said.
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