Ukraine pushes Nato for invite as Trump looms

BRUSSELS: Ukraine insisted on Tuesday that Nato membership was the only "real guarantee" for its security as foreign ministers from the alliance looked set to rebuff Kyiv's push for an invite ahead of Donald Trump's return to the US presidency. Trump has vowed to press for a quick deal to end Russia's war, leaving Kyiv scrambling to position itself ahead of his January inauguration.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addresses the audience during a joint press conference with German Chancellor at Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv, on December 2, 2024, amid the Russian invasion in Ukraine. (Photo by Anatolii STEPANOV / AFP)

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has said getting security guarantees from the Western alliance and supplies of key weaponry are prerequisites for Kyiv to start talking about halting its fight. "We are convinced that the only real guarantee of security for Ukraine, as well as a deterrent to further Russian aggression against Ukraine and other states, is Ukraine's full membership in Nato," the foreign ministry in Kyiv said.

Zelensky said that Kyiv was hoping Nato foreign ministers meeting in Brussels with Ukraine's top diplomat would issue "recommendations" to grant his country a membership invitation. "But we have no illusions -- there are some sceptical countries," he said. — AFP