Ukraine's unprofitable agreement with Russia poses serious security threat to Europe and US in long term – NATO chief
Photo: European Union
Ukraine needs a good agreement to end the full-scale war. Forcing Ukraine to make concessions to the Russian Federation could lead to serious security threats not only for Europe but also for the United States.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated this in an interview with the Financial Times.
According to the Secretary General, the danger of an agreement that does not take into account Ukraine's interests lies in the possible strengthening of authoritarian regimes in the world, namely:
- Russia,
- China,
- North Korea,
- Iran.
"We cannot allow a situation where Kim Jong In [the dictator of North Korea – ed.] and the Russian leader [Vladimir Putin, the dictator of Russia – ed.], Xi Jinping [the leader of China – ed.] and Iran are jointly happy that we have reached an agreement that does not suit Ukraine, because, in the long term, this will pose a serious security threat not only for Europe but also for the United States," Rutte said.
These countries already have strong economic and military ties, which, according to Rutte, fuel conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.
The NATO Secretary General said it is now more important to focus on strengthening military assistance to Ukraine than to discuss its membership in the Alliance. Military support should give Kyiv a strong negotiating position if President Volodymyr Zelensky decides to start peace talks.
Rutte also emphasized that the main task is to provide Ukraine with everything it needs to continue its resistance and restore its territorial integrity. Rutte called this his priority.
"Having the bitter experience of the Budapest Memorandum behind us, we will not accept any alternatives, surrogates, or substitutes for Ukraine's full membership in NATO," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasizes.
The Foreign Ministry appeals to "the USA and Great Britain, which signed the Budapest Memorandum, to France and China, which joined it, to all states party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons," with an appeal to politically support Ukraine's invitation to NATO now, which will be an "effective countermeasure to Russian blackmail."
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The position of Republican Donald Trump and his team on Ukraine remains ambiguous. During the election campaign, Trump repeatedly stated that he would "end the war" if re-elected, without revealing what exactly he would do.
He assured that he could end the war in 24 hours, in particular thanks to his good relations with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
However, to date, the winner of the presidential election in the United States, Donald Trump, has not yet chosen a specific plan according to which he will propose to end the war in Ukraine. However, some advisers suggest forcing Ukraine not to join NATO for 20 years. In exchange, the United States will continue to send weapons to Ukraine. Russia and Ukraine would allegedly have to agree to a more than 1,200 km demilitarized zone.
On November 7, the American politician also spoke with the Ukrainian president. Volodymyr Zelensky then reported that they agreed to develop cooperation.
According to media reports, during the 25-minute conversation, Trump said he would not stop supporting Ukraine. American billionaire Elon Musk also participated in the conversation.
