BRUSSELS — (AP) — NATO showed no sign Wednesday it would invite Ukraine to join anytime soon as allies sought more information from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy about his “victory plan” for ending the war with Russia.
The plan centers on a request for NATO to move forward on the “accelerated” membership application that Zelenskyy made two years ago to seek protection under the military alliance’s security umbrella after Russia launched its full-scale invasion.
NATO’s credibility is based on its collective security guarantee, Article 5 of its founding treaty. It’s a commitment by all 32 member countries to come to the aid of any member whose sovereignty or territory might be under attack.
However, it does not apply to a partner country like Ukraine.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte declined to welcome the “victory plan,” saying only that he and the allies “take note” of it. He did not discuss when Ukraine might join the world’s biggest military alliance, beyond insisting that …