### Ukraine Pushes NATO for Membership Invitation Amid Ongoing War

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has called on NATO to extend an official invitation for Ukraine to join the alliance during its upcoming meeting in Brussels next week. This request is outlined in a letter obtained by Reuters on Friday, reflecting Ukraine's intensified effort to secure NATO membership amid the ongoing war with Russia.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has been advocating for this move as part of a broader "victory plan" to end the conflict initiated by Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. He suggested in an interview with Sky News that offering NATO membership to Ukraine, while temporarily allowing Russia to retain control of captured territories, could potentially halt the active phase of the war. Zelenskiy emphasized that Ukraine acknowledges it cannot join NATO until the conflict concludes, but an invitation now would send a significant message to Russian President Vladimir Putin, thwarting his attempts to prevent Ukraine from becoming a NATO member.

"The invitation should not be seen as an escalation," Sybiha wrote in his letter. Instead, he argued, it would serve to undermine one of Russia's core reasons for the war, thereby facilitating an end to the conflict. Sybiha urged NATO members to approve the invitation during the Foreign Ministerial Meeting scheduled for December 3-4, 2024.

Zelenskiy also stressed the need for the invitation to encompass all of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders, even if actual NATO membership would initially apply only to areas currently under Kyiv's control. He posited that this approach could pave the way for regaining other territories through diplomatic means.

However, there is no unanimity among NATO's 32 member nations regarding an invitation to Ukraine. Although NATO has committed to Ukraine's future membership and declared it to be on an "irreversible" path, no formal invitation or timeline has been set. Olga Stefanishyna, Ukraine's deputy prime minister for NATO affairs, acknowledged this lack of consensus but stated that Sybiha's letter intended to deliver a strong political signal that an invitation remains possible.

Among other arguments, Sybiha highlighted Russia's ongoing escalation as a reason for extending the invitation. He pointed to the involvement of tens of thousands of North Korean troops and the use of Ukraine as a testing ground for new weapons as examples of Russia's increasing aggression.

Diplomats remain skeptical about any shift in stance among NATO countries, especially as they await guidance on Ukraine policy from the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump in the United States, NATO's leading member.