NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated that Ukraine was never promised membership in the North Atlantic Alliance, although the prospect of joining remains possible in the future.
He emphasized that at the summit in Washington, it was confirmed that Ukraine’s path to NATO is irreversible, despite the fact that the Alliance has never claimed that Ukraine would become a member as part of a peace agreement.
Rutte clarified that within the framework of a peace agreement, the U.S. considers it undesirable for Ukraine to become a NATO member but added that this does not exclude the possibility of membership in the future. He also noted that practical cooperation between Ukraine and NATO remains at a high level.
Earlier, Rutte reported that former U.S. President Donald Trump removed the issue of Ukraine’s membership in the Alliance. Meanwhile, the U.S. is discussing the possibility of providing Ukraine with security guarantees similar to NATO’s Article 5, while emphasizing the need for Ukraine to recognize the Russian-occupied territories.
