President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine said on Sunday that he believes Washington will offer his country security guarantees similar to those Israel enjoys in its relationship with the United States, a durable partnership that does not depend on which party controls the White House.
While the United States has invested billions in military aid for Ukraine, it has not guaranteed how long, or to what extent, support will continue. Some military analysts and administration officials have pushed for the United States to follow the so-called “Israel model” with Ukraine, which could offer the country more long-term stability and potentially send a message of deterrence to Russia.
“With the United States of America we will probably have a model like Israel, where we have weapons and technology and training and finances and so on,” he said in an interview broadcast on Ukrainian television on Sunday. He added that he did not believe a new American president would endanger such an agreement because “these are things that are voted on by the Congress.”
Ukraine’s larger ambition is to join NATO, which unites the United States and many of Ukraine’s European counterparts in collective defense. Some, including President Biden, have been reluctant to admit Ukraine into the alliance, partly because an attack on one member is considered an attack on all, potentially drawing the United States and the other members into direct conflict with Russia. NATO said in July it would invite Ukraine to join, but has not offered a timeline.
The Israel model would represent a middle ground between NATO membership and the current system, a series of one-off military aid bills passed by Congress.
Israel is not part of the Atlantic alliance, but the United States designates it a “major non-NATO ally,” cooperating on defense, supplying weapons, coordinating spy agencies and offering billions in military aid. Since the 1960s, American presidents, both Democratic and Republican, have consistently reaffirmed the close relationship. With an Israel-like relationship, Ukraine could benefit from a long-term aid agreement that would help it build up its military over a matter of years.
But Mr. Zelensky’s optimism does not guarantee American action, and appetite for Ukrainian support varies among U.S. politicians. Though Democrats are largely united behind continued military aid for Ukraine, Republican presidential candidates were split on the question at last week’s debate. And former President Donald J. Trump, the overwhelming front-runner for the Republican nomination, has said the war is not a vital U.S. interest.
In Congress, some Republicans have bristled at the money allocated to Ukraine — and it is unclear how the spotlight of an election year, paired with a conflict that has shown few signs of ending soon, could change the political landscape.
In the interview on Sunday, Mr. Zelensky acknowledged that nations do not want to be drawn into “a NATO war,” which would be World War III, but said that Ukraine needs security agreements as it waits to join the alliance.
“Later, these security guarantees may decrease, someone may refuse, but we need them on our way to NATO,” he said.
Anastasia Kuznietsova contributed reporting.
