BRUSSELS — On Tuesday, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte navigated inquiries regarding Ukraine’s potential membership in the military alliance, stressing that the immediate focus should be on enhancing Ukraine’s military capabilities in preparation for future peace negotiations with Russia.
Rutte’s comments came just ahead of a NATO foreign ministers’ summit and followed remarks by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Zelenskyy stated that granting NATO membership to areas currently controlled by Ukraine could effectively conclude the ongoing conflict with Russia, which has persisted for nearly three years.
“The front lines are not shifting eastward; they are gradually moving westward,” Rutte noted. He emphasized the necessity of elevating Ukraine’s position in the conflict and asserted that any subsequent steps toward peace talks should be left to the Ukrainian government to decide.
During a recent summit in Washington, leaders from the 32 NATO member nations affirmed that Ukraine is on an “irreversible” path towards joining the alliance. Nonetheless, some members, particularly the United States, have expressed hesitation, favoring a more cautious approach until the war dissipates and the country’s borders are more defined.
NATO’s foundation rests on the principle that aggression towards one ally is viewed as an attack against all members. The alliance has consistently aimed to prevent being drawn into a broader conflict with the nuclear-armed Russian state.
Zelenskyy asserted that once active hostilities cease, the proposal for NATO membership could be extended to all territories within Ukraine’s internationally recognized borders. When questioned about this during a press briefing, Rutte replied, “I propose we refrain from premature discussions regarding what a peace process might entail.”
The primary step, he insisted, is to ensure that Ukraine is equipped to enter peace discussions from a position of strength.
Ukrainian leaders conveyed their firm stance on NATO membership, rejecting any halfway measures or interim solutions. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry released a robust statement declaring that Ukraine “will not settle for alternatives, substitutes, or surrogates for full membership in NATO,” referencing its “bitter experience of the Budapest Memorandum.”
This agreement, established in Budapest three decades ago, involved Ukraine relinquishing its nuclear arsenal, which was the third largest globally, in exchange for security assurances from Russia, the United States, and the United Kingdom. The Foreign Ministry criticized this accord as a “monument to short-sightedness in making strategic security decisions.”
They asserted that the sole genuine security guarantee for Ukraine, along with a deterrent against further aggression from Russia and other nations, lies in Ukraine’s full NATO membership.
Reflecting on his discussions with the U.S. President-elect, Rutte highlighted concerns regarding international adversaries such as China, North Korea, and Iran aligning with Russia, which poses risks to both the United States and the Asia-Pacific area.
“Any agreement regarding Ukraine must be of high quality because we cannot risk the scenario of leaders like Kim Jong Un and Xi Jinping feeling emboldened,” Rutte remarked, warning that such a situation could lead to increased aggression in other parts of the world.
