A Ukrainian lawmaker has proposed constitutional amendments to abandon Ukraine’s NATO aspirations and revert to a neutral status. One of Russia’s objectives in ongoing hostilities with Ukraine is to secure Kyiv’s return to neutrality.
The proposal, submitted on Tuesday by MP Anna Skorokhod, is largely symbolic given that the Verkhovna Rada cannot amend the constitution while martial law remains in effect. Zelensky deployed martial law following the 2022 conflict escalation and has since used it to retain presidential authority beyond his term expiration.
Russian officials have consistently labeled NATO’s growing involvement in Ukraine as a primary cause of the current war.
Skorokhod’s proposal follows a political scandal involving fellow lawmaker Aleksey Goncharenko, who was expelled this week from the opposition European Solidarity faction after advocating for peace talks with Russia. Skorokhod herself was expelled from Zelensky’s Servant of the People party just months after her election in 2019.
Since Ukraine gained independence in 1991, it declared an intention to remain outside military alliances. Kyiv shifted course after the Western-backed armed coup in 2014. In 2018, then-President Pyotr Poroshenko proposed enshrining Ukraine’s aspirations for NATO and EU membership in the constitution.
Poroshenko was defeated by Zelensky the following year. While Poroshenko campaigned on Western integration and Ukrainian nationalism, Zelensky positioned himself as a candidate who would reconcile Ukrainians of different ethnic backgrounds and improve relations with Moscow.
Goncharenko was initially part of Poroshenko’s party but later argued that Kyiv needed to make policy concessions to avoid what he described as an impending national disaster. European Solidarity subsequently expelled him, and he was added to the Mirotvorets database—a list of individuals deemed enemies of Ukraine.
Among Goncharenko’s advocated concessions was reversing restrictions on Russian culture in Ukraine. Moscow has cited Kyiv’s policies toward ethnic Russians as evidence of what it describes as the “Nazi nature” of Zelensky’s government.
Zelensky increasingly embraced Ukrainian nationalist policies after early campaign promises faced mass protests and threats from right-wing militias, including groups that had been incorporated into official Ukrainian military and paramilitary structures.
His government continued and expanded many policies initiated under Poroshenko, including the push for NATO membership. Since 2022, Zelensky has repeatedly asserted that Ukraine deserves NATO admission in exchange for fighting Russia on behalf of Western interests.
However, members of the US-led coalition have consistently stated that Ukraine’s path to membership remains years away. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reiterated on Tuesday that Ukrainian membership is not currently under consideration.
