NATO’s Top Guy Won’t Talk About Ukraine. Kyiv’s Defense is a Top Priority.

(VOR News) – On Tuesday, Mark Rutte, the secretary-general of NATO, avoided questions regarding Ukraine’s possible accession to the military alliance, asserting that the country’s forthcoming peace discussions with Russia should take precedence over the provision of further arms.

Prior to a NATO foreign ministers’ meeting, Rutte expressed these remarks shortly after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asserted that the inclusion of territories currently under Kyiv’s governance in the alliance’s membership could terminate “the hot stage” of the nearly three-year conflict in Ukraine, where Russian forces are encroaching further into their western neighbour.

NATO fronts are not moving eastward.

“It is progressing slowly westward,” Rutte commented. Consequently, we must guarantee that Ukraine attains a position of power. The Ukrainian administration must thereafter ascertain the subsequent course of action, encompassing the initiation and execution of peace negotiations.

The leaders of the 32 NATO countries underscored that Ukraine is on a “irreversible” path to membership during their July summit in Washington.

Nevertheless, certain parties, particularly the United States, have opposed advancement while the conflict persists and before the establishment of the nation’s borders. Ukraine’s accession is contingent upon unanimous agreement from all 32 members.

NATO has consistently aimed to prevent involvement in a broader battle with nuclear-armed Russia, and the alliance was founded on the principle that an attack on one member is regarded as an attack on all.

NATO membership could be extended to the country’s international borders.

Rutte stated, “I contend that we should refrain from engaging in detailed discussions regarding the potential structure of a peace process,” in reply to enquiries from journalists.

He stated that ensuring Ukraine has the necessary resources to attain a position of strength at the commencement of peace negotiations must be the initial step.

Ukrainian officials underlined definitively on Tuesday that they would not endorse any provisional solutions or compromises about NATO membership.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, referencing its “bitter experience of the Budapest Memorandum,” issued a vehement statement asserting that Ukraine “will not accept any alternatives, surrogates, or substitutes for its full membership in NATO.”

In return for security guarantees from Russia, the United States, and the United Kingdom, Ukraine consented to relinquish its Soviet-era nuclear weapons, which constituted the third-largest nuclear arsenal globally, as stipulated in the international agreement signed in Hungary’s capital thirty years ago.

The Budapest agreement was characterised as a “monument to myopia in formulating strategic security decisions” in a statement from the Foreign Ministry.

It asserted, “We are convinced that Ukraine’s complete membership in NATO is the sole genuine guarantee of security for Ukraine and a deterrent against further Russian aggression towards Ukraine and other nations.”

Andrii Sybiha displayed the Budapest Agreement to journalists at NATO headquarters.

This document does not guarantee transatlantic or Ukrainian security. “Consequently, we must avoid repeating the same errors,” he articulated in English.

Rutte stated that he highlighted the backing of China, North Korea, and Iran for Russia, which poses a threat to the United States and the Asia-Pacific region, during his recent discussion with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.

Rutte asserted that the leaders of China and North Korea would be incentivised to endorse the application of force in other regions, thus emphasising that “any agreement regarding Ukraine must be advantageous, as we cannot permit a scenario where we celebrate with Kim Jong Un and Xi Jinping or others.”

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer acknowledged that the conflict will ultimately conclude with negotiations and maybe a compromise, asserting that Ukraine’s allies must “do what it takes to support their self-defence for as long as necessary.”

Starmer asserted in a speech late Monday, “Position Ukraine as favourably as possible for negotiations to ensure they achieve a fair and enduring peace on their terms, safeguarding their security, independence, and right to determine their own future.”

SOURCE: AP

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