Seven NATO members, including Germany and the US, oppose Kiev's invitation to join the alliance and are hesitant to respond to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's appeal for his country to become a member.
Hungary and Slovakia are also opposed to that decision, "given that their leaders take pro-Russian positions," the Brussels portal Politiko reported, citing four NATO and US officials, as well as some diplomats.
Other countries, it added, are reluctant to quickly respond to Kiev's request and "they are happy to hide in the shadows."
"Countries like Belgium, Slovenia or Spain are hiding behind the US and Germany. They simply do not show any initiative," said an unnamed NATO official.
While those countries support the idea in theory, "when the situation gets closer to implementation, they will be more publicly opposed," another senior official explained.
However, the officials who talked to the journalists pointed out that neither the USA nor Germany excludes the potential future membership of Ukraine in NATO.
Inviting Ukraine to NATO is the first part of Zelensky's "victory plan", which he presented to European leaders in Brussels on October 17.
In his victory plan, Zelensky asked for an immediate invitation, but admitted that entering the alliance would be possible only after the end of the war with Russia. But key members of the alliance are worried they could be embroiled in a war with Russia.
Zelenski admitted that German Chancellor Olaf Soltz would not support him in a quick call for NATO membership.
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