Rutte puts an end to question of whether Ukraine will become NATO member
Photo: NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte (Getty Images)
Ukraine's NATO accession is an irreversible process. However, it should not be linked to a potential peace agreement in the Russo-Ukrainian war, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated this in an interview during the national telethon live broadcast.
The Secretary General assured that Ukraine's NATO membership remains on the Alliance's agenda, despite all the discussions.
He confirmed that Ukraine's path to NATO is irreversible, and nothing has changed, adding that this was the outcome of the Washington summit.
When Rutte was asked about US President Donald Trump's statement that the issue of Ukraine's NATO membership was closed, he repeated that Ukraine's path is irreversible.
However, the high-ranking official emphasized once again that negotiations to achieve peace in Ukraine should not be linked to its NATO accession.
Rutte emphasized that when it was stated that Ukraine would one day become a NATO member, it was not a promise that this would be part of a peace agreement.
Ukraine and NATO
Ukraine had hoped to receive an official invitation to NATO at the Washington summit in July 2024, but this did not happen.
Recently, US President Donald Trump stated that he considers Ukraine's NATO membership unlikely or impractical. Later, Trump even suggested that Ukraine should forget about joining NATO.
"You can forget about it. That's probably the reason the whole thing started," Trump said.
On the other hand, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth called Ukraine's NATO membership unrealistic as a guarantee for ending the war.
In response, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that if Ukraine is not in NATO, then the Alliance must be on Ukrainian territory. According to him, the alternative to Ukraine's NATO accession would be the deployment of Alliance troops on Ukrainian soil. Additionally, the country would need to have a military force comparable in size to Russia's.
