JRL NEWSWATCH: “The great dilemma: NATO is agonising over whether to let Ukraine join. America is not keen for the country to enter the alliance — yet” – The Economist
“… Biden was blunt … about Ukraine’s chances of joining NATO. ‘I’m not going to make it easier,’ he declared. Despite its bold fight against Russia, the country still has to prove itself: ‘Does it meet all the standards every other nation in NATO does?’ Joining the alliance … ‘is not automatic.’
America … finds itself unusually isolated in the transatlantic alliance it founded and … has long dominated. It is the indispensable supporter of Ukraine’s war, providing the lion’s share of military aid …. Yet it is now the most reluctant … to admit Ukraine to NATO. … In the end, the West’s promise to support Ukraine ‘for as long as it takes’ may mean only ‘for as long as it does not lead to nuclear escalation’; or ‘… as long as there is no reasonable diplomatic solution.’ …”
After a cessation of fighting, the United States might have to reconsider Ukrainian NATO membership.
When West Germany joined NATO in 1955, NATO Article 5 only applied to territory controlled by that government. If Ukraine is more successful in the current conflict than expected, but achieves less than what Ukraine wants, they might find themselves in a similar position, of not having NATO Article 5 extending to Russian-occupied territories.