Ukrainians support joining NATO without the occupied territories, but they consider nuclear weapons to be the best security guarantee.

According to an Info Sapiens survey, 70.3% of Ukrainians positively assess a scenario in which NATO would invite Ukraine to join with its internationally recognized borders recognized. However, Article 5 of the NATO Charter, which guarantees collective defense, will not initially extend to territories currently occupied by Russia.

Germany joined NATO under similar conditions in 1955. And eastern Germany didn’t join the Alliance until almost four decades later, after the country’s unification. However, a significant difference is that Ukraine will receive an invitation to NATO within its internationally recognized borders, including the occupied regions.

However, Ukrainian citizens consider state-developed nuclear weapons (31.3%) and gradual accession to NATO (29.3%) to be Ukraine’s best security guarantees. Only 11.2% believe in the effectiveness of a defense alliance with the US, and only 6.4% believe in the effectiveness of European troops in Ukraine.