During a conference on Tuesday ahead of NATO’s Foreign Ministers meeting, Secretary-General Mark Rutte emphasized the necessity for Ukraine to be positioned for strength rather than being hastily directed toward peace talks.
Rutte stated, “I would argue, let’s not have all these discussions step by step on what a peace process might look like,” marking the first comprehensive assembly of the group since President-elect Trump’s victory.
He further emphasized the importance of ensuring that Ukraine is adequately equipped to attain a position of strength when it finally decides to engage in peace negotiations. Trump has consistently expressed his intention to advocate for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine if he returns to the White House.
Trump’s potential return to power raises questions about U.S. support for Ukraine’s peace efforts
While the specifics of a potential deal remain unclear, retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, Trump’s appointee as special envoy to Ukraine and Russia, has proposed relatively detailed terms for a truce. Kellogg has suggested that additional U.S. aid to Ukraine should depend on the country’s willingness to enter into peace discussions.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has fueled speculation regarding a peace agreement with his recent comments that outlined some fundamental demands for a ceasefire, including the acknowledgment of Russian control over occupied territories in exchange for NATO protections for the remainder of Ukraine. Rutte, who recently began his tenure as NATO’s head, indicated his commitment to advocating for increased military support for Ukraine.
He remarked, “And that is what we will very much focus on the next two days, how to get more military aid into Ukraine, more missile defense into Ukraine, better coordination of everything we are doing, making sure that the command in Wiesbaden will be up and running as soon as possible; that the pledge is implemented—that is what we need to do.”
Assuring support for Ukraine’s stability on the battlefield, Rutte acknowledged the challenges posed by an impending “crucial winter” that could lead to escalated Russian offensives. “Putin is not interested in peace.
He is pressing on, trying to take more territory because he thinks he can break Ukraine’s resolve and ours,” Rutte stated. “But he is wrong. Ukraine has a right to defend itself, and we have a duty to help them. So we need to continue our steadfast support.”
Having previously collaborated with Trump during his first term as the Dutch prime minister, Rutte met with the president-elect and his foreign policy team on November 23 to discuss various pressing alliance issues. In a recent interview with Sky News, Zelensky asserted that Ukraine must fall under NATO’s “umbrella” to bring the “hot phase” of the war to an end.
“We need to do it fast. And then on the [occupied] territory of Ukraine, Ukraine can get them back in a diplomatic way,” he stated. Kellogg, Trump’s envoy to the conflict, has expressed skepticism about the arms and funding allocated to support Ukraine’s front lines. He has proposed instead a “formal U.S. policy” aimed at ending the war rather than perpetuating a “stalemate.”
He explained, “It means working in alliances and with partners to promote regional security while requiring alliance members and allies to carry their full weight in defending security in the region,” in a report for the America First Policy Institute.
