New NATO chief explains what Ukraine's membership depends on
Photo: Mark Rutte, NATO Secretary General (Getty Images)
Ukraine's accession to NATO depends on several factors, one of which is resolving the issue of the war, according to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
Rutte emphasized his support for continuing assistance to Ukraine. He noted that officials in both the US and Europe understand that if Russian President Vladimir Putin gets what he wants, it will worsen the security situation for the Alliance.
"I worked with Donald Trump for four years. I've been in close talks with Kamala Harris. I respect them both very much. I am absolutely convinced that on this issue, they both see what is necessary... I'm convinced that we all understand why this is necessary because our defense and our values are at stake here," Rutte noted.
Rutte reminded that at the NATO summit in Washington, the Alliance countries discussed Ukraine and its future in NATO.
"Of course, what we now first have to deal with is the war, and to make sure that Ukraine prevails, and that Ukraine prevails as an independent, sovereign and democratic nation, that is now the priority. And I don't want to get into now what type of pathways there are to NATO membership, because there are so many varieties here and so many options, and that will very much also depend, of course, on Ukrainian leadership and how this war evolves," he said.
The Secretary General stressed that the Alliance countries should now focus on military efforts, as the more they help Ukraine, the faster the war will end. Vladimir Putin must understand that Western countries will not give up.
"We want Ukraine to prevail. In the end, when you talk about peace, it's up to the Ukrainian government to decide when they are at a stage that they want to discuss peace and peace talks, etc. And obviously we have to look at all these developments over the next six months, year, two years, also in the context of a possible future NATO membership, but it is very difficult at this stage to exactly predict how the one and the other might, yes or no, be connected," Rutte explained.
Background
Ukraine has repeatedly called on NATO countries to invite it to join the Alliance. NATO membership could protect the Ukrainian state from potential future Russian aggression after the current war ends.
It was expected that such an invitation might be extended at the anniversary summit in Washington. However, NATO countries limited themselves to a statement affirming that Ukraine’s accession to the Alliance is irreversible.
The United States and Germany opposed inviting Ukraine to NATO at the summit. However, according to Financial Times, US President Joe Biden may push for Ukraine's membership in the Alliance during the final months of his term in office.
