Western and NATO defense officials have said that the US and Germany are blocking Ukraine's request to join the North Atlantic alliance, something which has remained a central part of President Zelensky's 'victory plan'.
Zelensky has demanded an immediate invitation, but it comes at a moment enthusiasm and support for Kiev has waned in the West given Russian forces have the clear upper hand in eastern Ukraine. There has also long been an atmosphere of war fatigue.
Politico has reported the following this week: "Germany and the U.S. are among the major powers slow-walking Zelenskyy’s call for an immediate invitation to join NATO, according to four U.S. and NATO officials and diplomats who were granted anonymity to share the latest internal discussions."
Hungary and Slovakia are the other obvious powers which are not just slow-walking but have been actively blocking a Ukraine path to NATO membership. They have consistently warned that it would put Europe on the path to World War 3 with Russia.
But Germany has been the main source of recent friction for Kiev:
In an interview with POLITICO, outgoing U.S. Ambassador to NATO Julianne Smith underlined the American position. “The alliance has not, to date, reached the point where it is prepared to offer membership or an invitation to Ukraine,” she said.
Zelenskyy acknowledged that Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz — a major military provider for Ukraine, with weapons deliveries second only to America’s — won’t back him on the rapid NATO membership invitation.
“I have a very good relationship with Scholz. I am grateful that Scholz is helping. Germany is second in terms of support,” Zelenskyy told reporters earlier this week. “But the fact that the German side is skeptical about our joining NATO is a fact ... We will all have to work a lot with the German side. But still, the United States will have an influence on it.”
And yet neither is Washington rushing to 'influence' the European allies in this direction. Zelensky has meanwhile said that Germany is too afraid of Russia's reaction, in being so hesitant and reluctant.
One unnamed NATO official issued a damning quote to Politico, saying that "Countries like Belgium, Slovenia or Spain are hiding behind the U.S. and Germany. They are reluctant."
A second official described that countries "support it in the abstract but once it gets closer to materializing" they will become more publicly and vocally resistant to the idea of membership.
However, hawks in eastern Europe have remained quite vocal in supporting Zelensky's vision of a fast track to membership, including Poland and the tiny Baltic countries, or NATO's 'eastern flank'.