‘Article 5 cannot apply to entire territory of Ukraine during wartime,’ Zelensky says on potential NATO invite

If Ukraine were to join NATO, the alliance’s Article 5 collective defense principle may not apply to Ukrainian territories facing active combat, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Dec. 1.
“We understand that Article 5, when you’re a member of NATO, cannot apply to the entire territory of Ukraine during wartime, as countries are against the risks of being drawn into the war,” Zelensky said during a news conference alongside Antonio Costa, the new President of the European Council, referring to occupied territory.
Zelensky’s comments come as Ukraine has been urging NATO allies to invite Ukraine to join the alliance as early as next week, during the NATO Foreign Ministerial Meeting on Dec. 3-4.
“We believe that the invitation should be extended at this stage,” Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote on Nov. 29.
Earlier this week, Zelensky also suggested ending the “hot phase” of war along Ukraine’s eastern front in exchange for NATO membership, not immediately including occupied territories.
“If we want to stop the hot stage of the war, we should quickly take under NATO umbrella the territory of Ukraine that we have under our control. That’s what we need to do first, and then Ukraine can get back the other parts of its territory in a diplomatic way,” Zelensky said during an interview published on Nov. 29.
Clarifying those comments on Dec. 1, Zelensky said that no matter the concessions Ukraine makes to end the war, the entirety of the country must nonetheless be invited into the alliance.
“There cannot be an invitation to NATO for only part of Ukraine’s territory. This would automatically mean recognizing that all other territories are not only at risk but also not Ukrainian. Therefore, Ukraine will never agree to this. If there is an invitation, it must include all of Ukraine’s territories.”
Kyiv submitted its application to join NATO in September 2022, and in July 2024, the alliance affirmed Ukraine’s “irreversible path to full Euro-Atlantic integration, including NATO membership” — although Ukraine has not received any definitive news about its future accession.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s election has intensified uncertainty around Ukraine’s accession into the military alliance. Some reports also indicate this would entail forcing Ukraine to cede territory and at least temporarily give up on its NATO accession plans.
Throughout the U.S. election campaign, NATO allies concerned about the prospects of the Unites States’ support for NATO under a Trump administration led some of the alliance members to attempt to “Trump-proof” long-term aid for Ukraine, as well as reinforce the principle of collective defense.
In February, Trump said that we would let Russia do “whatever the hell they want” to NATO member countries failing to meet defense spending criteria, while encouraging countries to spend more on defense.
Zelensky, who has previously said that he will work with any U.S. administration, urged the Biden administration on Dec. 1 to attempt to convince other NATO allies who are skeptical of Ukraine’s accession in the final two months of Joe Biden’s presidency.