NATO Not Involved in Peace Talks Between Ukraine and Russia

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has announced that the Alliance is not involved in the negotiations concerning the end of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.

Rutte made this statement during an interview with NV.

Rutte on ceasefire negotiations in Ukraine

“We, as NATO, are not part of these discussions. They are being conducted by the USA along with Ukraine and the Russians. I am glad that the USA has taken the initiative on this matter and the negotiations are ongoing. We understand they are progressing slowly, but not due to Ukraine, rather because of the Russians. The ball is clearly in the Russian court now,” said the NATO Secretary General.

In his view, NATO has no red lines in the negotiations concerning the end of the war, “because we are not part of this process.” “However, we certainly want Ukraine to be a proud, sovereign state that moves forward. That is what we all want. There should be a just and lasting peace. Putin should never be allowed to attempt this again,” emphasized Rutte.

Regarding whether NATO could be part of peacekeeping forces in Ukraine, which Britain and France are discussing with EU partners, Rutte noted: “When we reach a peace agreement or ceasefire, we must assess how best to support Ukraine to prevent any future attacks from Russia.”

He stated that the first step is ensuring that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are in the best position after a ceasefire or peace agreement. “Then we have the French and British who, along with the 'Coalition of the Willing,' are looking for ways to provide security guarantees. We also have proposals from the Italians, which go in a somewhat different direction but with the same objective. I think it is best to wait until the peace is established,” he said.

Meanwhile, Rutte believes it is essential to continue exploring and developing all these various ideas to be prepared when a peace agreement is reached or a ceasefire is achieved, allowing Ukraine to utilize them.

At the same time, he noted that “it is unlikely that NATO will participate (in foreign peacekeeping forces).”

“That is improbable. But it could involve NATO allies. And that always means it will affect NATO territory. This could also have implications for the defense of NATO territory in the future. So, in that sense, coordination and interaction are necessary. This applies to Italian proposals, British-French ideas, and some proposals from Chancellor Scholz. Thus, regarding all these issues, I believe the best time to determine which approach is best will be when we understand what the peace agreement looks like,” Rutte stated.

He also commented on the commitments of NATO allies to provide Ukraine with 20 billion euros in support. “I would like to clarify that last year the total amount of commitments was 40 billion, and it eventually rose to 50 billion, with 60% provided by Europeans and Canada. That is, NATO allies of the USA. Now, in the first three months of this year, we have already gathered around 20 billion euros, exceeding $20 billion. For comparison, last year this figure was 50 billion,” Rutte explained.

According to him, there is still a significant supply line to Ukraine from Europe with defense equipment from the USA, European allies, and other countries. “But 99% of this comes to Ukraine from NATO allies, ensuring that you can continue to fight and be in the best position for negotiations,” he concluded.