Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Ukraine's ambassador to the United Kingdom, clarified his recent remarks about Ukraine's prospects of joining NATO during an event in Kyiv. Speaking at a diplomatic club meeting reported by Interfax-Ukraine, the former commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said he remains a supporter of the alliance.
Zaluzhnyi was asked to explain comments from a meeting of ambassadors in which European Pravda reported him saying Ukraine would unfortunately never join the bloc. Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi had previously stated that those published comments were taken out of context.
Zaluzhnyi stated that he supports NATO and recalled working on reforms in 2019 to transition Ukrainian military forces to NATO standards. He said the ongoing full-scale war has shown that modern warfare changes rapidly and the alliance must account for Ukraine's combat experience.
Call for New Doctrine and Standards
Zaluzhnyi said scientific progress and the war have raised Ukraine's armed forces to a new level. He argued that NATO has no choice but to adopt different standards and an entirely new doctrine, adding that the alliance will only be ready for Ukraine's accession after making those changes.
The ambassador stated that Ukraine requires an entirely new security bloc, likely tied geographically to Europe. Ukraine's official strategic course to join NATO remains enshrined in the nation's constitution.
Zaluzhnyi noted that Ukraine has deployed nearly all types of weapons and operational doctrines used by NATO nations, but Russia has developed countermeasures. He asked rhetorically if NATO is ready to fight Russia without Ukraine's combat experience.
Expeditionary Force Model and Past Comments
Zaluzhnyi highlighted the Joint Expeditionary Force, known as JEF, as a promising model for future security cooperation. Established under British leadership in 2015, JEF includes the United Kingdom, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden.
While JEF is not a NATO structure, it collaborates closely with the alliance to deliver rapid crisis response in Northern Europe and the Baltic Sea region. Ukraine is not a member of JEF but holds enhanced partnership status.
Zaluzhnyi's public statements have sparked wide discussion previously. In February 2026, he told Associated Press that the Security Service of Ukraine searched his command center while he was commander-in-chief, suggesting it may have been an act of intimidation by the President's Office. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded at the time that discussing the incident was inappropriate because no one gains from it.
