Ukraine's ambassador to the UK, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, who previously served as the country's commander-in-chief, said he doubts Ukraine will ever join NATO. He made the remarks during a discussion on Euro-Atlantic integration at a general meeting of ambassadors in Kyiv, as reported by European Pravda.

"I know NATO very well. For about 12 years, I personally worked on mastering NATO standards, and every year I listened to fairy tales that we would join NATO any moment now. We will never join it, unfortunately!" the outlet quoted Zaluzhnyi as saying.

According to him, the obstacle is that "it is impossible to join, with the level of development that the Armed Forces of Ukraine have, an organization that is guided by the doctrines of World War II." Zaluzhnyi also expressed the opinion that NATO will not change: "Most likely, NATO will remain in the same form it is in now, and will spend about 12 years, like Ukraine, transitioning to the standards that need to be achieved to at least match half the level of the Russian Federation."

At the same time, Zaluzhnyi acknowledged that Ukraine needs technologies that NATO countries possess. He sees an alternative to alliance membership in participating in new defense unions. "Most likely, we will be talking about a European military-political security bloc," the former commander-in-chief said.

Zaluzhnyi also expressed regret that Ukraine is not working on joining the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), a UK-led coalition established in 2015. In December 2025, Ukraine received the status of a JEF enhanced partner. However, as European Pravda notes, JEF does not provide for mutual defense obligations among its participants.

Ukraine is officially on an "irreversible path" to NATO membership, as confirmed at the 2024 Washington summit. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said in late 2025 that Ukraine would become a member when "conditions mature" and there is "consent of the allies."

Zaluzhnyi commanded the Armed Forces of Ukraine from 2021 to 2024. As of June 2026, 16% of Ukrainians were ready to vote for him, while 32% supported incumbent President Volodymyr Zelensky.