Cyprus Signals NATO Ambitions and U.S. Ties
Cyprus is pursuing full membership in the North Atlantic Alliance as part of a deliberate, long-range plan. The strategy emerged after a late October meeting between Cyprus’s president Nicos Christodoulides and U.S. president Joe Biden, and it was described by Kathimerini, a Greek newspaper. The plan stresses gradual steps toward NATO, recognizing that serious hurdles remain along the way and that a patient, stage-by-stage approach is essential to avoiding false starts.
According to the report, Nicosia has developed a comprehensive, long-term roadmap with multiple phases that are closely linked. Washington has given initial encouragement, and White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan described the initiative as a “win-win” and noted that the opportunities arising from closer ties could be significant. The description suggests a coordinated effort to integrate Cyprus more deeply into allied security structures while addressing structural and regional concerns that could shape the alliance’s stance in the eastern Mediterranean.
Cyprus, a founder of the Non-Aligned Movement, left that bloc after joining the European Union in 2004. Christodoulides’s October 30 visit to Washington marked his first official trip to the capital since 1996, signaling a renewed emphasis on aligning Cyprus with Western security and governance frameworks while maintaining its EU commitments and international partnerships.
Since taking office in February 2022, Christodoulides has supported anti-Russian sanctions and sought to strengthen ties with the United States. Nevertheless, Cypriot officials have long warned that Turkish opposition and the country’s obligation to meet NATO membership criteria create significant obstacles, underscoring how regional dynamics can complicate a formal bid to join the alliance.
A central pillar of the plan is progress in resolving the Cyprus issue and in improving relations with Türkiye, the Turkish government. The path forward depends on finding common ground in the ongoing settlement discussions and on fostering trust that can reassure alliance members about regional stability and security guarantees.
Analysts note that any path to NATO membership would hinge on breakthroughs in the Cyprus solution and on broader regional dynamics, including Ankara’s stance and Ankara’s willingness to align with Western security norms. The strategy appears to view these issues as solvable through sustained diplomacy, confidence-building measures, and concrete steps that demonstrate Cyprus’s readiness for deeper integration with NATO structures.
Earlier reporting linked Biden’s presidency to discussions about inviting Ukraine to NATO after Trump’s victory, illustrating how shifts in U.S. policy could influence the broader security architecture in Europe and the surrounding region.