Zelenskyy is adept at pushing for the aid Ukraine needs, but NATO membership is still elusive

WASHINGTON (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has proven to be an adept navigator of international relations in defense of his country, publicly cajoling and sometimes loudly complaining to get the military assistance his war-ravaged country needs to defend itself against Russia’s invasion.

But, as he attends this week’s summit of NATO leaders in Washington, his most coveted prize — membership in the military alliance — remains elusive. The European and North American countries making up NATO are in no hurry to admit Ukraine, especially while it is engaged in active hostilities with Russia that could drag them into a broader war.

Zelenskyy, who was feted as a champion of democracy in Washington in the aftermath of Russia’s 2022 invasion but was forced to plead his case for aid to U.S. lawmakers just last year, will find himself once again in the American capital as bridesmaid.

At the NATO summit, he’ll be trying to navigate a tumultuous American political landscape as President Joe Biden tries to show his strength on the world stage and ability to keep leading the alliance’s most important member following a shaky debate performance against former President Donald Trump.

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