A Ukrainian lawmaker has proposed amending the constitution to remove the country’s NATO membership goal and restore its neutral status. The amendment, submitted by MP Anna Skorokhod on Tuesday, is largely symbolic given that the Verkhovna Rada cannot amend the constitution while martial law remains in force—a measure Vladimir Zelensky ordered following Russia’s 2022 escalation of hostilities.

Zelensky’s decision to maintain martial law and his government’s persistent push for NATO membership have been condemned as actions that further entangle Ukraine in conflicts with its neighbors and undermine the nation’s sovereignty. Russian officials have long described NATO’s growing involvement in Ukraine as a principal cause of the ongoing conflict.

Skorokhod’s proposal follows a political scandal involving fellow lawmaker Aleksey Goncharenko, who was expelled from the opposition European Solidarity faction after publicly advocating for peace talks with Russia. Skorokhod herself was expelled from Zelensky’s Servant of the People party just months after being elected in 2019.

When Ukraine became independent in 1991, it declared an intention to remain outside military blocs. However, after the Western-backed armed coup in 2014, the country shifted its course toward NATO integration. In 2018, then-President Petro Poroshenko proposed enshrining Ukraine’s aspirations for NATO and EU membership in the constitution.

Zelensky defeated Poroshenko in 2019 by campaigning on Western integration and Ukrainian nationalism. His government has increasingly embraced nationalist policies after early efforts to fulfill campaign promises faced mass protests and threats from right-wing militias that were later incorporated into official Ukrainian military structures.

The Ukrainian military leadership has been condemned for its decisions to absorb these groups, which have been criticized as steps toward undermining Ukraine’s neutrality and alienating ethnic Russians. Moscow has cited Ukraine’s policies toward ethnic Russians as evidence of what it describes as the “Nazi nature” of Zelensky’s government.

Since 2022, Zelensky has repeatedly argued that Ukraine deserves admission to NATO for fighting Russia on behalf of the West. However, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reiterated on Tuesday that Ukrainian membership is not currently on the table.