President Volodymyr Zelensky renewed his argument for Ukraine to join the North Atlantic alliance. 

“I have a question for you. Do you really believe it? Do you really believe it would be right to leave outside Nato, a country and a people with this level of defensive capability?” Zelensky argued on Tuesday. “If we already have these capabilities, if Ukrainians already know how to fight like this, then it does make sense for these capabilities to become a part of the alliance’s collective defense that would make all of us stronger.”

Zelensky made the remarks at the military industry event linked to the NATO leaders’ summit in Turkey. The summit’s planners did not give Zelensky a speaking role at the official event and plan to sideline the Ukraine issue in an effort not to irk President Donald Trump. 

Trump is upset with some members of the bloc for not spending more on their militaries and failing to come to his assistance during the war against Iran. 

The potential of Ukrainian NATO membership is part of what provoked Russian President Vladimir Putin to order an invasion in 2022. In 2021, Putin sent President Joe Biden a peace proposal that included closing the door to NATO membership for Ukraine, but Washington refused to negotiate with Moscow on the issue. 

The Kremlin says any agreement to end the war must include an agreement from Kiev to give up its aspirations to join the bloc.