NATO told Zelensky that a membership to NATO could be approved, but only if certain conditions are met. In other words, the answer was …Not Yet. And well, Zelensky threw a temper tantrum.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday jolted a summit of NATO leaders by blasting their joint statement on his country’s prospective membership, decrying its lack of a concrete timeline as “unprecedented and absurd.”

Well, isn’t that just something? It’s apparent from Zelensky’s statement and actions that he fully expected a NATO vote to just waive Ukraine into NATO …just because. 

We value our allies. We value our shared security. And we always appreciate an open conversation.
Ukraine will be represented at the NATO summit in Vilnius. Because it is about respect.

But Ukraine also deserves respect. Now, on the way to Vilnius, we received signals that…

— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) July 11, 2023

The entire tweet is worth reading. However, here are some additional comments from his statement.

It’s unprecedented and absurd when time frame is not set neither for the invitation nor for Ukraine’s membership. While at the same time vague wording about “conditions” is added even for inviting Ukraine.

It seems there is no readiness neither to invite Ukraine to NATO nor to make it a member of the Alliance.

This means that a window of opportunity is being left to bargain Ukraine’s membership in NATO in negotiations with Russia. And for Russia, this means motivation to continue its terror.

Uncertainty is weakness. And I will openly discuss this at the summit.

Ok. Again, this has been dragging out for quite some time. My issue has always been, why are we draining our military resources to help out a country with zero oversight as to where all the munitions and money are going? 

Quite honestly, we should ALL be concerned that our military resources are being drained to assist Ukraine. And now, we are sending cluster munitions to Ukraine? Don’t get me wrong, I get it. Russia is one bad dude with Putin at the helm. There’s a lot at play here for sure. 

But to seriously believe that NATO approving Ukraine with little to zero conditions will magically make things all better? 

Furthermore, as much as I know that this war between Russia and Ukraine REALLY needs to end for both countries, for NATO and for international foreign policy at large … does anyone truly believe that Zelensky’s appearance at NATO was a surprise?

Because if this was such a surprise, then how come Zelensky and his wife were at the NATO summit dinner that Joe Biden skipped? 

Caption this photo in three words or less. pic.twitter.com/Qx8ax0SRaW

— Joey Mannarino (@JoeyMannarinoUS) July 12, 2023

Yes, those optics are certainly interesting aren’t they? 

In regards to Ukraine and NATO, people are also looking to how the United States will respond. Given the fact that the State Department already misspoke (or spoke truly) about Ukraine; with Zelensky’s comments, they further explained the reasoning behind the NOT YET vote.

State Department press secretary Matthew Miller spoke to reporters on Tuesday from the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, where NATO’s two-day summit is being held this week. Miller cited several conditions that NATO had decided Ukraine must meet for an invitation to the alliance, including democratic reforms and the end of the war between Russia and Ukraine.

“We are ready to extend an invitation when conditions are met,” Miller said. “There is an important reason why they are not becoming a member of NATO right now — because it would instantly put the United States in a shooting war with Russia.”

There’s more to it than that, but that is one big damned reason for saying NOT YET right now to Ukraine becoming a member of NATO. 

Interestingly, Zelensky’s commentary has angered the folks in Washington. 

Members of the U.S. delegation at the NATO summit in Vilnius were furious with Zelensky’s tweet, according to an official familiar with the situation – Washington Post pic.twitter.com/oydJMWBFLC

— John Carter (@JohnEdgarCarter) July 12, 2023

Thus, if the Biden/Zelensky meeting still takes place, how will it end? With Biden deciding to go to bat for Ukraine? 

Kim wrote a brilliant post here about why we should consider going to bat for Ukraine. There’s a lot I agree with in her commentary, especially regarding the history of that country and how the U.S. has stood up for injustices against Russia. I get it. I truly do. 

However, we cannot forget that Ukraine has a major history of corruption in recent years. And we must be cognizant that some of that corruption is very possibly still running through the country. We cannot forget that for whatever reasons, some of which may or may not involve Hunter Biden and THE BIG GUY, Joe got a major Ukrainian prosecutor fired. 

There’s a lot a play here. The chess pieces are moving all over the board. As such, the situation is so fluid that I truly think the answer of Not Yet to Ukraine was the right move at this time. 

Feature Photo Credit: NATO Ukraine flag via Pixabay, cropped and modified