U.S. blocking Zelenskyy’s inclusion in NATO Summit in The Hague

The American government is opposed to the prospect of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attending next months NATO Summit in The Hague, NATO sources said. Zelenskyy was included as a guest of honor during the previous Summits, but the current U.S. administration, which took office in January, is not in favor of this arrangement.

Under Trump’s presidency, the U.S. has not declared itself an outspoken ally of Ukraine in their war with Russia, but considers itself more a mediator between Moscow and Kyiv. Trump and Zelenskyy also seem to dislike each other, which came to a head during the argument that the two had when the Ukrainian president visited the White House in February.

Zelenskyy was received with full honours at the NATO Summit in Washington last year. However, this was under the nation’s previous president, Joe Biden. NATO came together for a so-called NATO Ukraine council, in which Zelenskyy joined the leaders as an equal.

This type of meeting, which is now a regular occurrence at the NATO events, is something that the U.S. does not want to see at the summit in The Hague, sources said.

Many countries think the NATO Ukraine council is important. Therefore, there may be a summit of defense or foreign ministers to replace the usual meeting. Zelenskyy would be able to come to The Hague and join the dinner that Dutch King Willem-Alexander is hosting for what will likely be all the world leaders. He would also be able to join other meetings outside of the official program, diplomats have said.

The U.S. is not the only country that would rather not see Zelenskyy join the summit. Member states like Hungary are also in agreement with the U.S. stance on this subject.

Considering their strained relations, it may be a good thing for Trump and Zelenskyy to avoid each other, a diplomat of a pro-Ukraine country said.

It was confirmed by the American NATO ambassador on Tuesday that Trump would be attending the summit, putting an end to the uncertainty regarding the president's attendance. “I expect and plan for, and we should fully assume that Donald Trump will be in The Hague for the summit,” said Ambassador Matt Whitaker.

There were doubts regarding Trump’s arrival as he is making the U.S. support for NATO dependent on how much money the member states invest in their own defense. He has threatened to wash his hands of NATO if they continue to let the U.S. pay significantly for its defense.