UKRAIN – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy unveiled his plan to win the war against Russia to the parliament in Kyiv on Wednesday, reiterating his desire to see the country join NATO — a move his Western allies are likely to be cautious of.

In a speech to Ukraine’s parliament, Zelenskyy outlined the first point of his five-point plan: Ukraine’s admittance into the alliance amid Russia’s war against its neighbour.

Zelenskyy said granting Ukraine membership in the alliance would be a “testament of (allies’) determination” to support Ukraine.

However, the suggestion is unlikely to be popular with Ukraine’s Western allies, who fear that allowing Ukraine into the alliance while fighting continues, could trigger NATO’s collective security guarantee and thus drag supporting countries into a war with Russia.

NATO’s 32 members declared Ukraine on an “irreversible” path to NATO membership at their summit in Washington in July, although in reality any decision on offering to start membership talks is likely to be prolonged. In his speech, Zelenskyy publicly hinted for the first time that Western support for Ukraine might be waning. In private talks with Kyiv, its Western partners are increasingly talking about “negotiations” with Russia and much less frequently using the word “justice” in conversations about the war, he said.

Ukraine’s allies are increasingly taken up with a spiralling conflict in the Middle East and domestic political concerns, particularly in the US as it gears up for a pivotal election that could usher in a major shift in its Ukraine policy. (Yahoo)…[+]