NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated that Kiev was never promised membership in the NATO alliance as part of any potential peace agreement with Moscow.
Rutte clarified that NATO has not offered Ukraine membership in the bloc as part of any settlement to the conflict with Russia. Moscow considers Ukraine’s ambition to join the US-led military alliance a key factor in the current conflict.
During a joint press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Friday, Rutte stated, “We never agreed that, as part of a peace deal, there would be guaranteed NATO membership for Ukraine.”
He emphasized that while NATO members agreed on Ukraine’s eventual accession, it was “for the longer term, not for the peace negotiations ongoing at the moment.”
Rutte highlighted the close cooperation between NATO and Ukraine, mentioning the command center in Wiesbaden that coordinates military aid and the joint efforts to train Ukrainian armed forces.
Earlier this year, Rutte also affirmed to Bloomberg that US President Donald Trump had seemingly removed the question of Ukraine’s NATO membership from ongoing peace discussions.
Russian officials have repeatedly accused the West of instigating the conflict by ignoring Russia’s concerns about NATO expansion in Eastern Europe and its growing military ties with Ukraine.
“I believe all of this was deliberately done to create additional conditions to limit our economic growth and contain Russia’s development,” Russian President Vladimir Putin said in 2023.
Moscow’s key demands for a peace agreement include Ukraine abandoning its NATO aspirations, refraining from acquiring nuclear weapons, and recognizing Russia’s new borders. The Kremlin has also warned that continued Western military support for Kiev will only prolong the conflict without altering the final outcome.
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