Ukraine pushes NATO for invite as Trump looms

BRUSSELS, Belgium — Ukraine insisted on Tuesday that NATO membership was the only "real guarantee" for its security, but foreign ministers from the alliance sidestepped Kyiv's push for an invite ahead of Donald Trump's return to the US presidency.

Trump has vowed to press for a quick deal to end Russia's war, leaving Kyiv scrambling to position itself ahead of his January inauguration.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has said getting security guarantees from the Western alliance and supplies of key weaponry are prerequisites for Kyiv to start talking about halting its fight.

"We are convinced that the only real guarantee of security for Ukraine, as well as a deterrent to further Russian aggression against Ukraine and other states, is Ukraine's full membership in NATO," the foreign ministry in Kyiv said.

Until now, the leaders of NATO heavyweights the United States and Germany have backed away from Ukrainian membership out of fear it could drag the alliance into a war with Russia.

Diplomats said that with the administration of US President Joe Biden on its way out and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's future in doubt ahead of elections, Kyiv hoped their foreign ministers could have more leeway.

"We are discussing this intensively," said German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock. "We need security guarantees that really work."

On the US side, Secretary of State Antony Blinken gave no indication of a policy shift on his last planned visit to NATO -- with officials saying privately the Biden administration will not back Ukraine's push as they believe any offer would be rescinded by the president-elect.

"I believe that NATO membership will bring tension again and then there will be the possibility of further conflicts tomorrow," Luxembourg's foreign minister Xavier Bettel said.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte pushed away questions over Ukraine's possible membership and how it could play into any peace deal, saying the alliance needed to "concentrate" on getting more weapons to Kyiv.

"I would now argue that Ukraine doesn't need more ideas on what a peace process could look like," Rutte said.

"Make sure that Ukraine has what it needs to get to a position of strength when those peace talks start."

'Good deal' 

Trump has said he could end Russia's war in Ukraine in a matter of hours, but has given no details on how he intends to achieve that goal.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned against any moves to place Ukraine under NATO's security umbrella.

"Such a potential decision is unacceptable to us," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

Trump's new envoy on the Ukraine war, Keith Kellogg, has floated shelving Ukraine's longstanding NATO ambitions as part of a peace deal -- while still providing Kyiv security guarantees.

Rutte warned the incoming US administration that if Ukraine got a "bad deal" it risked emboldening American rivals such as China and North Korea.

"Whenever we get to a deal on Ukraine, it has to be a good deal," he said.

Boots on ground? 

Two Western diplomats said initial discussions had begun on whether European troops could be deployed to enforce any eventual ceasefire.

"We will of course also support everything that serves peace in the future with all our strength from the German side," Baerbock said, when asked on the issue.

As Ukraine presses on the diplomatic side, its forces are buckling across the eastern front in the face of Russia's grinding offensive.

Russia said Tuesday that it had captured two more southeastern villages, while Ukraine said it had repelled a push across a key river.

Moscow is trying "to occupy as much territory as they can to strengthen their future negotiation position," Ukraine's foreign minister Andriy Sybiga said. "We need to raise the price for the Russians."

Kyiv is looking to wring all the weaponry it can from the Biden administration amid fears Trump will cut aid.

Washington on Monday announced an additional $725 million military aid package for Ukraine.

Kyiv called on allies to provide 20 more air defence systems, and has requested those capable of shooting down the new Oreshnik experimental ballistic missile fired by Moscow.