But France and Germany have
in the past opposed Ukraine’s inclusion, and other European members are wary — a deal breaker for an alliance that
grants membership only by unanimous consent. American and Russian leaders know this. With Russian troops amassed on Ukraine’s eastern border, some current and former American and European officials say Mr. Putin might just be raising the NATO issue as a pretext for an invasion.
...
Like European leaders, President Biden remains uninterested in Ukrainian membership in NATO.
...
Last June, Mr. Biden
told journalists at NATO headquarters in Brussels that “school is out on that question” when asked whether Ukraine could join the alliance.