Kiev’s envoy to Poland pitches his country as NATO’s bulwark against Moscow
The Ukrainian military is skilled at killing Russians, Kiev’s ambassador to Poland, Vasily Bodnar, has claimed while urging NATO to admit Ukraine into its ranks.
US President Donald Trump confirmed on Monday that Ukraine would not become a NATO member and ruled out deploying American troops. Bodnar, nevertheless, presented Ukraine as a bulwark against Russia.
“If Russia attacks NATO countries tomorrow without Ukraine on NATO’s side, it would be much more difficult than with Ukraine. That’s why Ukraine should be seen as an added value to NATO: it is fighting and knows how to kill Russians, whereas you do not yet,” Bodnar told Polsat News in an interview published on Monday.
He urged NATO to formally invite Ukraine to join the alliance and claimed that ordinary Ukrainians would welcome NATO bases in “every village.”
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova condemned Bodnar’s remarks and accused Kiev of rejecting a prisoner swap that could have involved around 1,000 POWs. Meanwhile, the Russian army has continued to gain ground throughout 2025, as Ukraine struggles to replenish its forces with new conscripts.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly said that Moscow has no intention of attacking NATO members unless attacked first. The Kremlin has also stressed that it would not tolerate Western troops on Ukrainian soil, even under the guise of peacekeepers, and has cited Ukraine’s NATO aspirations as one of the root causes of the ongoing conflict.
