Ukraine has doubled down on its ambition to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), brushing aside renewed threats from Russia, as tensions remain high in Eastern Europe.
Speaking on Saturday, April 12, 2025, at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkey, Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha declared that Kyiv’s NATO bid remains firm, positioning it as a strategic necessity for European security. “Ukraine’s NATO membership should not be off the table,” Sybiha told the international panel, stressing Ukraine’s evolving role as a military and geopolitical asset.
Highlighting the country’s resilience, Sybiha pointed to the strength of Ukraine’s armed forces, now boasting 110 brigades with daily combat experience—an unprecedented level of battlefield readiness fueled by the ongoing conflict with Russia that began in 2022.
His statement comes amid sustained opposition from Moscow, which has consistently cited NATO’s eastward expansion as a key driver of regional instability. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko recently reiterated that halting Ukraine’s NATO aspirations remains one of the Kremlin’s core demands for any ceasefire agreement.
Despite the pressure, NATO appears unfazed. Javier Colomina, NATO’s Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs and Security Policy, affirmed the alliance’s commitment to its partnership with Ukraine. “We will continue to work with our Ukrainian friends for their transatlantic aspirations and integration,” Colomina said, though he stopped short of commenting on a specific timeline for membership.
The renewed NATO push comes as Ukraine seeks deeper security ties amid escalated Russian drone strikes targeting Kyiv and Kharkiv. Analysts suggest Ukraine’s overt military resilience and operational experience now provide it with a stronger bargaining chip in diplomatic circles.
While the path to NATO membership remains politically charged and strategically sensitive, Ukraine’s message in Antalya was unmistakably clear: it intends to sit at the Western defense table—whether Moscow likes it or not.
