NATO chief Mark Rutte stated that Russia has no veto right on Ukraine's accession to the Alliance, rejecting a peace deal proposal that would block Ukraine's entry into NATO. He added that the Washington Treaty allows any country in the Euro-Atlantic region to join.
Russia has no right of veto over Kyiv's aspiration to join NATO. This was stated on Wednesday by the head of the alliance, Mark Rutte, rejecting a peace agreement proposal put forward by Moscow and Washington that would block Ukraine's entry into the alliance, UNN reports with reference to Politico.
"Russia has no say and no veto over who can be a member of NATO," Rutte said in an interview with El País and the German publication RND. He added that the Washington Treaty, the alliance's founding document, "allows any country in the Euro-Atlantic region to join."
Rutte's comments came after a US proposal to end Russia's full-scale war, which leaked to the press last week. It included a provision that NATO agrees "not to admit Ukraine at any point in the future."
The 28-point plan was subsequently revised to 19 points, softening some of its most pro-Russian elements. An alternative European proposal rejects the idea of excluding Ukraine from NATO, the publication adds.
Rutte softened his comment slightly, insisting that he has positive feelings about US President Donald Trump. "I like the guy," he said.
Let's add
NATO allies have shied away from immediately inviting Ukraine to join the organization, but last year NATO members agreed that Kyiv's application was "irreversible" – a statement Rutte has reiterated since, despite opposition to the country's entry from Trump and other member states.
The NATO Secretary General acknowledged that several "allies… are currently opposed to Ukraine's accession."
Rutte said that the current peace plan, which emerged after broader diplomatic talks in Geneva on Sunday, provided a "good basis for further discussions," but added that any proposal would require "separate, parallel discussions" with NATO "on certain issues."
Politico reminds that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated on Wednesday that any decision regarding Ukraine's application for EU or alliance membership should not be made unilaterally.
"Nothing about Europe without Europe, nothing about NATO without NATO," she told members of the European Parliament.
Rutte also stated that the alliance will supply Ukraine with weapons totaling $5 billion as part of a NATO-led scheme under which European allies purchase American weapons for Kyiv "by the end of this year."
Eleven countries have already contributed to five aid packages totaling $500 million under the so-called PURL program, with a sixth package expected in the coming days. The remaining money will come from a combination of future packages and off-cycle payments, according to a person familiar with the matter who was granted anonymity to speak freely on the sensitive issue.
Rutte warned that Moscow would not stop threatening Europe's security, even if it agreed to a peace deal. "Russia will continue to be a long-term threat for a long time," he said.
Recall
On November 20, Axios published a 28-point peace plan by US President Donald Trump between Ukraine and Russia, which provides for territorial concessions, restrictions on the Ukrainian armed forces, certain US guarantees, and economic components.
Against this background, Ukraine and the United States began negotiations in Geneva. The negotiations lasted on November 23 and 24. As a result, the initial 28-point peace plan of the United States was reduced to 19 points.
The Ukrainian delegation, after a meeting with the US in Geneva, stated that there is "a common understanding of the key terms of the agreement," and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's visit to the US is expected "at the earliest possible date in November" to reach an agreement with Trump.
American press reported on November 25, citing an unnamed American official, that the Ukrainian side had agreed with the United States on the terms of a potential peace agreement.
This comes amid reports that Trump pressured Zelenskyy for a deal before the American Thanksgiving Day, November 27, although US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called this deadline flexible.
The President's Office stated that any discussions on territorial issues would likely take place at a meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump.
