In a Telegraph commentary, Ukraine’s NATO ambassador argues that Kyiv already fulfills the Alliance’s core security role and calls for a shift from symbolic partnership to full strategic integration.
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Ukraine has become a central pillar of European security through its role in resisting Russia and should be integrated more fully into NATO, Ukraine’s ambassador to the Alliance argued in a commentary published by The Telegraph.
Alyona Getmanchuk, head of Ukraine’s Mission to NATO, said Kyiv is already fulfilling key elements of NATO’s strategic mission – without being granted membership.
Getmanchuk frames Ukraine’s relationship with NATO as paradoxical – geographically and politically close, but structurally blocked.
“To get from the Mission of Ukraine to NATO [...] it should be enough to just cross the road,” she writes, describing the physical proximity in Brussels.
“In reality, you have to make your way through a large construction site that has blocked all access routes to the Mission building, and then navigate a maze of confusing interchanges and crossings. This roughly reflects where Ukraine stands today in its relations with NATO.”
She adds that Ukraine and NATO “have never been this close” in terms of cooperation and dialogue, yet “complex junctions [...] continue to reliably keep Ukraine outside the Alliance.”
She also points to a growing “sense of injustice,” noting that Kyiv remains excluded from NATO’s decision-making structures despite its role on the battlefield.
The ongoing war is Iran is revealing to the world Russia’s waning influence in the anti-Western bloc of nations. Ukraine can now weaponize Russia’s eclipsing sway.
“That your country is not at the table,” she writes, adding that Ukraine is often forced to “invent formats” to communicate its position to Allies.
“A political construct” blocking membership
Getmanchuk argues that Ukraine’s exclusion is not based on objective limitations, but on political decisions shaped in part by Russia.
In her view, the underlying reason lies in what she describes as the Kremlin’s “imperial fantasies,” which have long influenced Western hesitation over Ukraine’s membership.
“The impossibility of Ukraine’s membership in NATO in the foreseeable future is merely a political construct,” she writes. “Nothing more, nothing less.”
She reaffirms that this construct continues to be reinforced rather than dismantled, despite Ukraine’s growing role in European security.
Challenging myths about NATO expansion
In her article, Getmanchuk rejects several narratives she said have influenced Western policy toward Ukraine.
Among them is the claim that NATO expansion provoked Russia.
“Russia first attacked Ukraine militarily precisely when Ukraine [...] had no intention of joining NATO,” she reminds.
She also highlights the scale of Russia’s military losses, arguing that Moscow is pushing westward at a high cost in an effort to shift the front line closer to NATO’s borders.
At the same time, she dismisses the argument that Ukrainian membership would trigger war, noting that Russia has already escalated its aggression regardless of Kyiv’s status.
More broadly, she argues that if Russia were genuinely concerned with security rather than imperial ambitions, it would have an interest in Ukraine being part of NATO, where its actions would be more predictable and coordinated within an Alliance framework.
Ukraine already defending Europe
Getmanchuk stresses that Ukraine is already acting as a frontline defender of Europe against Russia.
“Today Ukraine, by holding back Russia on the battlefield, is the only country that is actually implementing NATO’s Strategic Concept,” she writes.
She adds that Ukraine is doing so “without even having a clear membership perspective.”
She also points to Ukraine’s battlefield experience, military scale and technological innovation as assets that could strengthen the Alliance.
“A battle-hardened, million-strong army, Ukrainian defence technologies and innovations – this is what could significantly strengthen NATO,” she wrote.
From partner to security provider
Getmanchuk argues that Ukraine should no longer be seen only as a recipient of security assistance.
“The truth is that Ukraine itself is becoming a potential security guarantor,” she writes, pointing to expertise in modern warfare, particularly in drones and technological systems.
She emphasizes that Ukraine’s capabilities could help NATO prepare for future conflicts and improve operational effectiveness.
“Ukraine has been the shield of Europe”
Getmanchuk concludes with a broader appeal for a shift in how Ukraine’s role is perceived.
“For the fifth year in a row, Ukraine has been the shield of Europe,” she writes.
“But in reality, Ukraine deserves to be the sword of Europe. And the sword of NATO.”
Korbinian Leo Kramer is currently a correspondent for the Kyiv Post, reporting from both Central Europe and the frontline regions of Ukraine. He previously worked as a freelance journalist and photographer across eastern Ukraine, covering the human and social dimensions of Russia’s fullscale invasion. His reporting focuses on resilience, everyday life, and the realities of war.
