NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte made a statement regarding the peace negotiations expected between Ukraine and Russia. Rutte stated, “There has never been a promise of NATO membership to Ukraine within the framework of a peace agreement.”

Mark Rutte, NATO Secretary General, made remarks following the NATO Defense Ministers Meeting held in the capital of Belgium, Brussels.

“UKRAINE WILL BE PART OF THE PROCESS UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES”

Responding to a question about whether all NATO members agreed that peace negotiations for Ukraine cannot be conducted without Ukraine’s participation, Rutte said, “First and foremost, we agree that when negotiations begin, we must ensure that Ukraine is in the best possible position. As this directly concerns Ukraine, Ukraine will be part of the process under any circumstances and in any way. At the same time, we are fully united in the importance of the results being lasting. As stated by US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth yesterday, we do not want to relive the Minsk-3 agreement.”

“WILL UKRAINE START THE NEGOTIATIONS IN A WEAK POSITION?”

In response to a question about President Trump announcing the negotiations will start soon and whether Ukraine will begin the negotiations in a weak position, Rutte said, “I do not entirely agree with you because even if negotiations start, they will not conclude on the first or second day. Therefore, we need to ensure successful negotiations throughout this process. While reaching a peace agreement is important, it is crucial for Putin to understand that the West stands united and that Ukraine is receiving all the support it needs to achieve victory. Also, he needs to understand that we will only conclude the negotiations when we are completely sure of the outcome, meaning that the result will be permanent and sustainable.”

“PUTIN, A TOUGH NEGOTIATOR”

When asked whether he believed Putin genuinely wanted to end the war, Rutte said, “Of course, we cannot know exactly what is on President Putin’s mind, you nor I. I had many meetings with him during my previous term from 2010 to 2014. He is a tough negotiator and quite unpredictable. However, if we truly want to make a peace agreement, he needs to be at the table as well. Because he is the one who started this aggressive war. Therefore, we need to conduct the discussions in a way such that the resulting agreement is seen as strong by the entire world. Countries in the Indo-Pacific region like China, in North Korea, and even in the Middle East like Iran should clearly see that the West has prevailed.”

“WE WANT TO END THIS WAR”

Responding to a question about whether peace negotiations would strengthen Russia’s hand and whether Russia would attack another country after Ukraine, Rutte said, “We have not seen the result of peace negotiations yet because they have not yet begun. However, today here, I saw that all allies, including the White House, were on the same page about one thing. The consensus is that we must establish peace in Ukraine and end this horrifying situation, this aggressive war. Hundreds of thousands of people on both sides have lost their lives or been seriously injured. This is truly horrific. We want to end this war. However, we need to conduct the negotiations in a way that ensures the result is strong in two respects. First, the negotiations should not be seen as a defeat for the West. Second, the outcome must be permanent and never questioned again. We cannot allow a repeat of what happened in Crimea in 2014 and the Minsk agreements.”

“NO PROMISE WAS MADE TO UKRAINE”

Regarding Ukraine’s NATO membership, Rutte said, “In Washington, a commitment was made that Ukraine would be a NATO member in the future. However, when peace talks began, there was never an agreement reached definitively that these negotiations would result in Ukraine’s NATO membership. It could be a possibility, but it was never clearly stated.”

Rutte emphasized that preventing Russian President Putin from attempting another attack on Ukraine is a critical issue and mentioned that different ways could be considered to provide future assurances to Ukraine. He stated, “However, there has never been a promise of NATO membership to Ukraine within the framework of a peace agreement.”