NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte commented on the loud statements of US President Donald Trump that Ukraine will never become a member of the Alliance. As the Secretary General noted, at the Washington summit it was decided that Ukraine's path to NATO is irreversible - Trump's statements have not changed anything.
Points of attention
- Rutte emphasizes the importance of separating the pursuit of peace agreements from long-term perspectives such as NATO membership for Ukraine.
- Collaborative efforts within NATO aim to support Ukraine and facilitate its journey towards achieving a peace agreement or ceasefire.
Rutte denied Trump's claim
The NATO Secretary General drew attention to the fact that no one ever promised Ukraine that membership in the Alliance would be part of a peace agreement or ceasefire.
And sometimes I hear Americans say: we don't think NATO membership will be part of a ceasefire or a peace agreement, that it contradicts the wording of the Washington Summit. And here I would disagree. I think it is very consistent with the wording of the Washington Summit. These are two separate things: a peace agreement and a long-term perspective.
Mark Rutte
NATO Secretary General
According to Rutte, NATO members, including the United States, are currently working together to take command in Wiesbaden (the new NATO command — ed.), from where all support comes to Ukraine.
In addition, the Alliance leadership is trying to understand how best to help Ukraine become even more interoperable with NATO, build its own armed forces, and reach a hopeful moment of a peace agreement or ceasefire.
And let's hope that we can achieve that. So we are really working closely on all these issues," Rutte stressed.
