NATO director voices remarks on possible Ukrainian membership
(MENAFN) NATO has never promised Ukraine membership in the alliance as part of any potential peace settlement with Russia, according to the organization's Secretary General, Mark Rutte. This clarification comes amid Ukraine’s long-standing goal of joining NATO, a key issue that Moscow views as one of the main causes of the ongoing conflict.
“We have never agreed that NATO membership for Ukraine would be part of a peace deal,” Rutte stated during a press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. While he confirmed that NATO members had agreed on Ukraine’s future membership, Rutte emphasized that this would be in the long term, not as part of the current peace talks.
Rutte highlighted that NATO and Ukraine continue to work closely together, noting that NATO has a command center in Wiesbaden to coordinate military aid to Ukraine and is also supporting the training of Ukrainian forces. Earlier this year, Rutte acknowledged that US President Donald Trump had removed the question of Ukraine’s NATO membership from current peace discussions.
Russian officials have repeatedly accused the West of exacerbating the conflict by ignoring Russia’s security concerns over NATO’s expansion and its increasing military ties with Ukraine. President Vladimir Putin has stated that these actions were intended to limit Russia’s economic growth and development.
The renouncement of Ukraine’s NATO ambitions remains one of Russia's key conditions for peace, along with Ukraine not acquiring nuclear weapons and recognizing Russia’s new borders. The Kremlin has also warned that continued Western military support for Ukraine will only prolong the war without altering its ultimate outcome.
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