NATO director excludes Ukrainian membership under peace agreement
(MENAFN) NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has stated that Ukraine was never promised membership in the alliance as part of any potential peace settlement with Russia. Speaking during a surprise visit to Ukraine on Tuesday, Rutte clarified in an interview with MI Ukraina that while Ukraine’s Western supporters have expressed hopes for its eventual NATO membership, no commitment has been made to include this in a peace agreement.
Russia has long opposed Ukraine’s NATO ambitions, viewing the alliance as a direct threat, and has cited Ukraine’s desire to join NATO as a key reason for launching its military operation in 2022. Moscow has insisted on Ukrainian neutrality, along with demands for demilitarization, denazification, and recognition of territorial changes, as conditions for peace. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has maintained that any peace deal should include either NATO membership or NATO-like security guarantees.
Rutte emphasized that Ukraine’s NATO membership remains an "irreversible" goal, but he did not offer a specific timeline. This stance contrasts with that of US President Donald Trump, who recently criticized Zelensky’s NATO push, suggesting that Ukraine was never going to be accepted into the alliance and acknowledging Russia’s concerns about having NATO on its doorstep.
Rutte also assured that NATO would continue supporting Ukraine during and after any potential ceasefire. He mentioned the "coalition of the willing," a group of European nations pushing for ongoing military aid to Ukraine and the possibility of sending troops for peacekeeping efforts after a conflict resolution. However, Rutte emphasized that any deployment would only occur after a ceasefire is in place and according to the terms of a peace agreement.
Moscow has repeatedly opposed the idea of sending Western troops to Ukraine, with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accusing Western powers of seeking to reinforce anti-Russian sentiment rather than striving for a genuine peace.
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