Ukraine's alliances are not a 'bargaining chip' in talks with Russia, country's deputy PM says

Ukraine's proposed membership in NATO should not be used as a "bargaining chip" in this week's talks between Russia and the United States over the eastern European nation's confrontation with Moscow, Ukraine's deputy prime minister for European affairs said Monday.

Olga Stefanishyna met the Western military alliance's secretary general on Monday ahead of a full meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission, which helps direct the relationship between NATO allies and the beleaguered nation.

Her statement comes as Ukraine seeks to underline not only its partnership with NATO but its burgeoning relationship with western Europe — efforts that some defence and foreign policy experts say are aggravating Russia.

It is a message that will no doubt be repeated today when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

On Monday, Stefanishya repeated Zelensky's often-heard mantra — "nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine" — at a joint media conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

"We have our own inherent, sovereign right to choose our own security arrangements, including treaties and alliances," Stefanishyna said. "The Euro-Atlantic integration is enshrined in our constitution and is supported by the majority of Ukrainian citizens. It's not a subject of negotiation or a bargaining chip."

The starting point for negotiations, she said, should be the withdrawal of more than 100,000 Russian combat troops now deployed on Ukraine's border.

This reminder of Ukraine's position came on the same day that senior American and Russian officials opened security talks in Geneva — the first in a series of critical meetings this week that will include direct negotiations between Stoltenberg and Russian diplomats on Wednesday.

The negotiations are meant to dial back tensions in eastern Europe, where Russia has issued sweeping security demands that include barring Ukraine from joining NATO and the withdrawal of Western forces from other parts of the region. Russia's proposals have been deemed unacceptable already by both the U.S. and NATO.

As the crisis has unfolded, Ukraine has been keen to demonstrate its utility to NATO and showcase its ties with the European Union.

In a meeting with Stoltenberg on Dec. 16, 2021, Zelensky spoke about "Ukraine's participation in NATO-led missions, involvement in the NATO Response Force and military exercises," according to a statement issued at the time by his office.

Andrew Rasiulis is a former senior official at the Department of National Defence (DND) who once ran the department's Directorate of Nuclear and Arms Control Policy. He said underlining Ukraine's value to NATO — by citing its troop contributions to missions in Afghanistan and Iraq and its potential contributions to standing task forces — is a political calculation on the part of the Zelensky government that reinforces Russia's sense of insecurity. 

"It's significant because from the Ukrainian point of view, it shows they're as close to being de facto NATO as you can be," said Rasiulis, now a fellow at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute.

"From the Russian point of view, this is exactly what the problem is … and what they're saying is, 'Don't make an informal NATO.'"