Rutte on US statement on impossibility of NATO membership for Ukraine: We must first focus on big issues
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte avoids commenting on the US statement that membership in the alliance for Ukraine is not a realistic outcome of the settlement between Ukraine and Russia and says that the issue of strengthening Ukraine for peace talks must first be resolved.
On Thursday in Brussels, before the start of the meeting of NATO defense ministers, journalists asked the NATO Secretary General whether the best position for Ukraine would not be for the return of the occupied territory and NATO membership to still be on the table. To this, Rutte said: "Well, what I've said before, I believe we have to make sure that we concentrate on the big issues. And the one big issue, number one, is to make sure that when talks start, that Ukraine is in a position, that Putin knows he has to come to the table, it is for him crucial to come to a deal on Ukraine. So Ukraine has to be in a strong position."
At the same time, the NATO Secretary General stressed the importance of ensuring that once the agreement is concluded, it does not fall apart, as we saw in 2014.