Trump team lukewarm on NATO involvement in Ukraine discussions – WSJ
Ukrainian officials are working to bridge the "wide differences" with the president-elect's team in Washington regarding the NATO membership issue. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
Ukrainian officials are working to bridge the “wide differences” with the transition team of US President-elect Donald Trump during meetings in Washington.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Trump's transition team is engaged in high-level discussions with Ukrainian representatives, but NATO membership for Ukraine may not be a point of negotiation. Andrey Yermak, head of Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky's office, met on Wednesday with Keith Kellogg, Trump’s selected special envoy for Russia and Ukraine, as well as incoming national security adviser Mike Waltz.
While Kellogg has publicly endorsed the Biden administration's initiative to expedite military support to Ukraine—believing it will provide Trump “leverage” in future negotiations with Moscow—there seems to be little interest from the president-elect's team in offering NATO membership to Ukraine. The report stated, “The Trump team has shown little interest in offering Ukraine membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization,” which Zelensky views as a “vital security guarantee.”
Last week, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry released a statement asserting that military bloc membership is “the only real security guarantee” for the country, rejecting “any alternatives, surrogates or substitutes” for full membership.
During the election campaign, Trump had repeatedly claimed he could resolve the Ukraine conflict within “24 hours,” though he provided scant details on his approach. Recently, however, Reuters reported that his advisers have outlined three potential strategies to resolve the conflict, all of which involve Ukraine conceding territory to Moscow and abandoning its NATO aspirations.
The WSJ’s report indicated that Yermak arrived in Washington prepared to convey Ukraine’s “readiness for peace.” Nonetheless, a source familiar with Ukraine's stance noted that it must be a “sustainable peace,” emphasizing that a “temporary” solution would not align with US or Ukrainian interests.
Lucian Kim, an analyst at the International Crisis Group, mentioned that Ukraine might already recognize that NATO membership is not imminent, but suggested it may be premature for them to make concessions “before negotiations have even started.”
On Thursday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told CNN that Moscow is receptive to hearing Trump's plans but has yet to receive any tangible proposals. He cautioned, however, that Russia would not compromise on its fundamental national interests. Furthermore, he stated that the possibility of a compromise with Ukraine is currently “zero,” indicating this stance will persist until Kyiv acknowledges that “there’s no way Russia will go the way they’ve suggested.”
Mark B Thomas contributed to this report for TROIB News
According to the Wall Street Journal, Trump's transition team is engaged in high-level discussions with Ukrainian representatives, but NATO membership for Ukraine may not be a point of negotiation. Andrey Yermak, head of Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky's office, met on Wednesday with Keith Kellogg, Trump’s selected special envoy for Russia and Ukraine, as well as incoming national security adviser Mike Waltz.
While Kellogg has publicly endorsed the Biden administration's initiative to expedite military support to Ukraine—believing it will provide Trump “leverage” in future negotiations with Moscow—there seems to be little interest from the president-elect's team in offering NATO membership to Ukraine. The report stated, “The Trump team has shown little interest in offering Ukraine membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization,” which Zelensky views as a “vital security guarantee.”
Last week, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry released a statement asserting that military bloc membership is “the only real security guarantee” for the country, rejecting “any alternatives, surrogates or substitutes” for full membership.
During the election campaign, Trump had repeatedly claimed he could resolve the Ukraine conflict within “24 hours,” though he provided scant details on his approach. Recently, however, Reuters reported that his advisers have outlined three potential strategies to resolve the conflict, all of which involve Ukraine conceding territory to Moscow and abandoning its NATO aspirations.
The WSJ’s report indicated that Yermak arrived in Washington prepared to convey Ukraine’s “readiness for peace.” Nonetheless, a source familiar with Ukraine's stance noted that it must be a “sustainable peace,” emphasizing that a “temporary” solution would not align with US or Ukrainian interests.
Lucian Kim, an analyst at the International Crisis Group, mentioned that Ukraine might already recognize that NATO membership is not imminent, but suggested it may be premature for them to make concessions “before negotiations have even started.”
On Thursday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told CNN that Moscow is receptive to hearing Trump's plans but has yet to receive any tangible proposals. He cautioned, however, that Russia would not compromise on its fundamental national interests. Furthermore, he stated that the possibility of a compromise with Ukraine is currently “zero,” indicating this stance will persist until Kyiv acknowledges that “there’s no way Russia will go the way they’ve suggested.”
Mark B Thomas contributed to this report for TROIB News
