Russian sources are spreading information that only the western part of Ukraine might be admitted to NATO, allegedly citing the publication Politico.

“The West has an idea to include only specific regions of the former USSR in NATO. This list will reportedly include only the western regions, while the Kyiv region and Kyiv itself, apparently, will not be considered part of the alliance”, propagandists write.

However, the original Politico article does not state that western Ukraine will join NATO separately from other regions. Instead, the article presents several models for ending the armed conflict in Ukraine.

One such model, referred to as the “German model”, suggests the possibility of NATO providing security guarantees only to the western regions of Ukraine or to territories currently under the control of the legitimate Ukrainian government. Moreover, NATO membership can only be extended to Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders. Security guarantees might be offered depending on the military and political situation in different regions.

In other words, the journalists cited models of conflict resolution, and did not come out with the news that this is exactly how it will happen. For example, the article also wrote about the “Israeli model”, under which the country “is not formally part of a defense alliance like NATO; rather, it is a close ally of the United States and many European countries, which supply a huge amount of weapons and also provide diplomatic support”. The advantage of such a model, according to the publication, is that it does not link Ukraine to an alliance that could drag other countries into a war with Russia, with its arsenal of nuclear weapons.

Another model discussed is the “Finnish model”, which would entail Ukraine abandoning its occupied territories and adopting neutrality. However, the article notes that this model would likely fail to protect Kyiv from future Russian aggression, as Ukraine had been neutral even before Russia invaded its territory.

Moreover, the journalists wrote that those were not necessarily peace plans but reflections on how relations between Ukraine and Russia might be structured to permanently end hostilities.