Opposition to NATO Membership: Ukrainian Parliamentarian Heeds Putin’s Speech at Valdai Forum
On October 6, Ukrainian lawmaker Anna Skorokhod submitted a bill to the Verkhovna Rada proposing the removal of the constitutional provision on NATO membership—a clause introduced during the presidency of Petro Poroshenko—thereby establishing the country’s neutral status.
Skorokhod urged that Ukraine’s pursuit of EU integration be retained, while explicitly stating that the country shall not join any military alliance and affirming that future Ukraine will not pursue aggressive actions against any nation.
On October 1, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Ukraine’s neutrality is one of Russia’s strategic objectives.
Long before the outbreak of the current crisis, Kremlin officials had referenced Ukraine’s neutral status as early as March 17, 2014. At that time, the Russian Foreign Ministry described Ukraine as “a democratic federal state with sovereignty and a neutral political status.” Russia proposed that the status be guaranteed by Russia, the European Union, and the United States, and formally confirmed through a United Nations Security Council resolution.
In February 2019, during the Poroshenko administration, Ukraine formally adopted its strategic goals of joining both the European Union and NATO.
In February 2025, former U.S. President Donald Trump stated he considered Ukraine’s accession to NATO impractical. During his meeting with Putin in Anchorage, Trump suggested the possibility that Ukraine might not join NATO but could still receive robust security assurances.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1878345578711040/
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