NATO affirms Ukraine's future role but separates from the peace deal
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte assured that the decision regarding Ukraine's future membership of the Alliance remains valid and nothing has changed in this respect since the summit in Washington. However, he emphasised that Ukraine's accession to NATO would not be part of any possible peace agreement that would end the war.
"We decided in Washington that the path of Ukraine into NATO is irreversible. We are building the bridge by everything we're doing with Ukraine, getting Ukraine as interoperable as possible with NATO. But it was never promised to Ukraine that NATO membership will be part of a peace deal," said Rutte in an interview broadcast on Tuesday on Ukrainian television stations.
NATO chief in Odessa. Met with Zelensky
A senior official indicated that the U.S. president remains committed to securing a durable and meaningful peace in Ukraine that goes beyond symbolic gestures and aims for a genuine ceasefire and comprehensive agreement. However, he clarified that Ukraine’s potential NATO membership has never been formally tied to the terms of such a deal. Looking ahead, he confirmed that plans for the forthcoming Washington summit remain unchanged.
When asked by a journalist whether Ukraine's membership in NATO remains on the Alliance's agenda, the Secretary General replied briefly: "Yes, of course."
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Odessa on Tuesday – a port city in the south of the country, which, although not under Russian control, has been regularly shelled since the start of the invasion.
Rutte emphasised that NATO will continue to support Ukraine, highlighting the Russian missile attack on Sumy on Palm Sunday, in which 35 civilians were killed.
Putin presented demands
Zelensky reported that he visited a hospital alongside the NATO chief where wounded soldiers were treated and medals were presented. In the background of the visit are reports of threats from the Kremlin – according to the Russian "Kommersant," Vladimir Putin demands recognition of the annexation of the occupied territories and threatens an attack on Odessa if this is refused.
Since 2022, Russia has formally claimed the entire Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions, although it only partially controls them in reality. Crimea was annexed back in 2014.
