Ukraine's former top military commander has told Kyiv's ambassadors that NATO membership is not a realistic goal, saying the country will «never really» join the alliance. Valerii Zaluzhnyi, who now serves as Ukraine's ambassador to Britain, made the remark at a meeting of Ukrainian ambassadors in Kyiv, according to Ukrainian media reports.
«Unfortunately, we will never really join», Zaluzhnyi said. «I know NATO very well. For about twelve years I personally worked to ensure that we meet NATO standards, and every year I heard fairy tales about how we would join NATO from one day to the next.» He argued that Ukraine did not meet the military standards required for membership. It was «impossible, given the level of development of the Ukrainian armed forces, to join an organization that is guided by doctrines from the Second World War», he said. Ukraine also lacked technology that is already in service in NATO countries, including missile defense and space capabilities.
NATO and European Union membership are enshrined in Ukraine's constitution as strategic goals. Zaluzhnyi was removed as commander-in-chief in 2024 after disagreements with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy over the conduct of the war against Russia. Opinion polls have put public trust in him at roughly the same level as trust in Zelenskyy. Russia categorically rejects any Ukrainian membership in NATO.
In a separate development overnight, Ukrainian forces carried out further drone attacks on logistics centers of the Russian online retailer Wildberries. Ukrainian media reported hits on hubs in Chekhov near Moscow and Krasny Bor near St Petersburg, with images and videos circulating on social media. Russian authorities have reported that more than 20 Wildberries sites in different parts of Russia and in Crimea have been attacked since mid-July. Wildberries, one of Russia's largest e-commerce platforms, is often described as the «Russian Amazon» and handles deliveries for Russian companies and the Russian military.
At least three sailors were seriously injured when a Turkish cargo ship was struck by drones in the Black Sea about 20 nautical miles, or 37 kilometers, from the Russian port of Novorossiysk. The ship, the Nadezhda, was heading for Samsun in Turkey. Turkey's maritime authority did not specify who launched the attack. Turkish media reported, citing the captain, that several Ukrainian drones had targeted the vessel, which sails under the flag of Cameroon. A fire broke out on board, and all 23 crew members were taken to safety by the Russian navy. Both Russia and Ukraine have stepped up attacks on shipping in the Black Sea in recent weeks.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, meanwhile, has dismissed Ukraine's ambassador to the United States, Olha Stefanischyna. The presidential office published the decree relieving her of the post in Washington. Stefanischyna, a former deputy prime minister, said on Facebook that she had asked to step down. Ukrainian media had reported in mid-July that she might be replaced as part of Zelenskyy's latest government reshuffle. Yulia Svyrydenko, who was tipped as her successor, reportedly declined the position, and no replacement has been announced. Both Stefanischyna and Svyrydenko had maintained good contacts with the team of US President Donald Trump despite the US administration's shifting policy on Ukraine. Trump recently promised Ukraine a license to build Patriot air-defense missiles, but then called that pledge into question.
Speaking to the assembled ambassadors, Zelenskyy said he wanted to put Russia under such pressure by autumn that it would agree to end the war. He did not predict an exact date. Ukrainian drone attacks at medium and long range, foreign sanctions and diplomatic efforts had to work together «to leave Russia no alternative to peace». «We will work hard to make this happen by autumn», he said. At the same time, he said Ukraine was preparing for another winter of war and instructed diplomats to secure weapons and technical support from foreign partners. «Every ambassador must procure weapons for Ukraine», he said. He also described the joint development of a missile defense system as an important international project for the country.