Camilla Jessen
NATO weighs security guarantees for Kyiv.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has moved to clarify that Moscow cannot dictate the alliance’s enlargement decisions, as debate continues over Ukraine’s long-term security.
His comments followed renewed diplomatic efforts surrounding a U.S. peace proposal that initially appeared to mirror Russian demands.
Rutte stressed that any discussion about Ukraine’s future must be shaped by allies, not by the Kremlin.
Alliance decisions
Speaking to El País, Rutte said membership “requires unanimity” among the 32 NATO states but added that “Russia has no say or veto over who can be a NATO member.”
He acknowledged that several allies, including the U.S., still oppose admitting Kyiv at this stage.
His remarks came after an early draft of a U.S. 28-point peace plan reportedly included language barring Ukraine from joining NATO.
That provision, widely viewed as granting Moscow the veto it has sought for years, was removed following consultations with Kyiv and European partners.
Rutte said the revised framework emerging from Geneva offers a “good foundation for further discussions,” but noted that any peace outline must be paired with a “separate, parallel discussion” inside NATO.
Security guarantees
“When you look at the peace plan, we want to ensure that Putin never tries to attack Ukraine again,” Rutte said.
If membership remains off the table for now, he argued, Western states must provide guarantees “strong enough to make Russia never try again.”
Moscow has long claimed that NATO expansion triggered its full-scale invasion, even though Ukraine is not a member. The war instead prompted Finland and Sweden to join the alliance, citing Russia as the core security threat.
Battlefield outlook
Rutte also said Russia’s military progress leading into 2025 remains minimal, noting that its forces “advance only a few meters a day” and have struggled for 18 months to seize Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast.
Ukrainian officials have reported Russian infiltrators entering the city disguised as civilians.
Rutte warned that “Russia will remain a long-term threat,” adding that Europe must “spend much more on our defense” because “a peace plan does not change the assessment” of Moscow’s intentions.
Sources: El País
