The long-term commitment to Ukraine’s irreversible path to NATO membership, which the Allies reaffirmed last year during the Washington Summit, remains valid, and the Alliance is already building a bridge to achieve this goal.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated this today in Brussels during a press conference ahead of the defense ministerial, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.
“The decision in Washington to present to the Ukrainians an irreversible path to NATO still stands today, there is no change. By the way, it was never promised to Ukraine that potential NATO membership would be part of a peace deal or a ceasefire, but a long-term commitment, an irreversible path. And we are building a bridge to this – through our command in Wiesbaden, (via the Joint Analysis and Training and Education Center) together with Ukraine and Poland, capturing all the lessons,” the leader of the Alliance said.
He recalled that today NATO allies, its partners and Ukraine will participate in the Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting, which will be co-chaired by Germany and the United Kingdom. The upcoming meeting, like all previous ones, will focus on continued support for Ukraine as it repels Russian aggression.
“We fully support President Trump’s efforts to stop the bloodshed with a just and lasting peace. NATO’s long-term support to Ukraine is not about prolonging the war, it is about ensuring Ukraine can defend itself now and prevent any future aggression,” Mark Rutte stressed.
He confirmed that a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council will be held tomorrow with the participation of Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and EU High Representative Kaja Kallas. The Ukrainian minister will brief allies on battlefield developments and Ukraine’s efforts to achieve peace.
“We are at a pivotal moment for our security. Make no mistake, NATO is strong today, and will become even stronger. Strong defense sends a powerful message – no one should ever think of attacking us,” the NATO Secretary General emphasized.
As reported earlier, a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group will be held in Brussels today, uniting the efforts of about 50 countries providing military assistance to Ukraine. Tomorrow, a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council will be held at the NATO headquarters at the level of defense ministers.
Source: NATO's long-term commitment to Ukraine's membership in Alliance remains in place - Rutte
