There is small problem in discussions on peace deal for Ukraine – NATO secretary general
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, in the context of discussions of a potential peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia in the West, has stressed that all these conversations are taking place without the participation of Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin. Source: Rutte during a public discussion in Brussels on 12 December, quoted by European Pravda Quote: "We do this all out in the open; this is our strength.
But there is also a small problem here. I see all of this in the press about guarantees, [Ukraine's] NATO membership - yes or no - and accepting yes or no to give up pieces of land of Ukraine... If I were now sitting in the Kremlin, and my name were Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, I would say: 'Hey, this is moving very positively for me!
And I'm not even at the [negotiating] table'."
Advertisement:Details: The NATO secretary general noted that the West is now very openly discussing what a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia should look like. In this context, he called for more restraint in the discussions and instead called for Ukraine to engage in potential negotiations from a position of strength. He recalled how, at the start of the full-scale invasion, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy refused to leave the country, instead calling on allies to provide weapons.
Advertisement:"Here, I would say, he doesn't need more plans; he needs again ammunition and air defence, etc.," Rutte said.
"It's crucial that whenever there is a deal [between Ukraine and Russia], that it is a good deal...
But again, for me to start to discuss this, we start a sort of debate amongst ourselves, within the Alliance, with our European partners, without having Putin at the table, and that's risky," the NATO secretary general reiterated.
Background:
- Rutte also warned that the Alliance is unprepared for the threats it will face from Russia in the coming years and called for a shift to a wartime mindset with much more defence spending.
- In addition, Rutte said that since February 2022, the number of casualties in the Russo-Ukrainian war has exceeded one million people killed and wounded.
Support UP or become our patron!