Ukraine has renewed its push for NATO membership as Kyiv reports tactical gains near the Crimean Peninsula and the European Union moves ahead with the first stage of accession talks. Marcin Zaborowski, TVP World’s Europe Editor, told the News in Depth program that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s decision to raise the issue during a meeting with Baltic and Nordic leaders in Estonia was no accident. The Baltic and Nordic states have long been among Ukraine’s strongest supporters, making them a natural platform for Kyiv’s message ahead of an upcoming NATO summit. Zaborowski said Ukraine’s NATO ambitions had partly disappeared from “the world of real politics” after earlier US-backed peace proposals suggested Kyiv might have to drop the goal in exchange for security guarantees. Strongest guarantee But with direct talks with Russia failing to materialize, Zelenskyy is again stressing that NATO membership remains the strongest possible guarantee. “There is no stronger security guarantee than being a NATO member,” Zaborowski said. The renewed diplomatic push comes as Ukraine claims battlefield gains near the Kinburn Spit, close to Crimea. Zaborowski cautioned that this does not mean Kyiv is close to retaking the peninsula, but said Russian withdrawals from exposed positions could eventually help Ukraine reopen the port of Mykolaiv, a step with major economic significance for Black Sea exports. Ukraine’s EU path is also moving forward, with the bloc preparing to open the first negotiation cluster with Kyiv and Moldova, covering the rule of law and democratic standards. Zaborowski said progress was made possible by a change of government in Hungary, though Budapest may still link further steps to minority-rights demands concerning ethnic Hungarians in Ukraine’s Zakarpattia region.
