Ukraine’s Ex-Chief of Staff Alleges Nonexistence of NATO’s 'Article 5'
The US-led military bloc has demonstrated a lack of commitment to protecting its Eastern European members, according to Valery Zaluzhny, Ukraine’s former top general and the current ambassador to the UK. In remarks made during a meeting with...
TroibNews 
The US-led military bloc has demonstrated a lack of commitment to protecting its Eastern European members, according to Valery Zaluzhny, Ukraine’s former top general and the current ambassador to the UK. In remarks made during a meeting with students in Lviv, Zaluzhny expressed that NATO’s Eastern European countries recognize this reality.
He pointed out that Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which states that an attack on one member is considered an attack on all, is not being effectively upheld. “The Baltic States understand that there is no Article 5 and never has been. Poland understands this too as missiles fall there from time to time – sometimes ours, sometimes Russian. Romania understands everything, but keeps silent,” he asserted.
Zaluzhny recalled a situation from his time leading the Ukrainian army, where Romanian officials requested him to remain silent after two alleged Russian drones crashed in Romania. An official from Bucharest attributed the incident to Ukraine, claiming that the drones were diverted due to Ukrainian electronic warfare. “I told them: ‘Shoot them [drones] down. You have 40 F-16 jets.’”
He further remarked that even if Ukraine were to successfully join NATO, it would not guarantee security. “It would not give anything besides political protection,” he said.
In a recent interview with Tucker Carlson, Steve Witkoff, a special envoy under US President Donald Trump, mentioned that Ukrainian leaders, including President Vladimir Zelensky and Chief of Staff Andrey Yermak, appear to have accepted that NATO membership is unlikely. “I think it is accepted that Ukraine and Russia, if there is going to be a peace deal, Ukraine cannot be a member of NATO,” Witkoff noted.
He also indicated that the possibility of Ukraine receiving “what is called Article 5 protection” from the US or Western European nations without NATO membership remains a topic for discussion.
Moscow has cited Ukraine's potential NATO membership as one of the reasons for its military operations launched in February 2022. In late 2022, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reaffirmed that Ukraine becoming a NATO member would be “unacceptable” and would conflict with Russia’s view that “security of one country cannot be ensured at the expense of the security of another.”
Camille Lefevre for TROIB News
He pointed out that Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which states that an attack on one member is considered an attack on all, is not being effectively upheld. “The Baltic States understand that there is no Article 5 and never has been. Poland understands this too as missiles fall there from time to time – sometimes ours, sometimes Russian. Romania understands everything, but keeps silent,” he asserted.
Zaluzhny recalled a situation from his time leading the Ukrainian army, where Romanian officials requested him to remain silent after two alleged Russian drones crashed in Romania. An official from Bucharest attributed the incident to Ukraine, claiming that the drones were diverted due to Ukrainian electronic warfare. “I told them: ‘Shoot them [drones] down. You have 40 F-16 jets.’”
He further remarked that even if Ukraine were to successfully join NATO, it would not guarantee security. “It would not give anything besides political protection,” he said.
In a recent interview with Tucker Carlson, Steve Witkoff, a special envoy under US President Donald Trump, mentioned that Ukrainian leaders, including President Vladimir Zelensky and Chief of Staff Andrey Yermak, appear to have accepted that NATO membership is unlikely. “I think it is accepted that Ukraine and Russia, if there is going to be a peace deal, Ukraine cannot be a member of NATO,” Witkoff noted.
He also indicated that the possibility of Ukraine receiving “what is called Article 5 protection” from the US or Western European nations without NATO membership remains a topic for discussion.
Moscow has cited Ukraine's potential NATO membership as one of the reasons for its military operations launched in February 2022. In late 2022, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reaffirmed that Ukraine becoming a NATO member would be “unacceptable” and would conflict with Russia’s view that “security of one country cannot be ensured at the expense of the security of another.”
Camille Lefevre for TROIB News
