TASS reported that at a press conference before the NATO foreign ministers' meeting on December 3, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is not currently discussing the issue of inviting Ukraine to join, but is only negotiating the provision of weapons to Kiev.
"Our plan for the next two days is to focus primarily on urgent issues. What is needed right now is to ensure that military aid is delivered to Ukraine," Mr. Mark Rutte emphasized.
Mr. Rutte affirmed that NATO allies have agreed that “Ukraine’s future is in NATO.” He noted: “At the NATO summit in Washington, we agreed on Ukraine’s irreversible path to NATO.” He also noted that the alliance is building stepping stones for Ukraine to join NATO.
The Ukrainian government has repeatedly stated its desire to become a member of NATO. However, on December 1, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine would never accept an incomplete invitation, although he did not rule out the possibility that the conflict could end if Ukrainian-controlled areas were placed under NATO “protection.”
Mr. Zelensky also admitted that Ukraine has not received any proposals on this issue. Since 2023, Ukraine has signed more than ten agreements with each NATO member state.
However, according to Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, these agreements do not provide any guarantees for Ukraine's commitment to NATO. She said the agreements only acknowledge the allies' current support for Ukraine.
Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin put forward conditions for peace, including Ukraine's withdrawal from Donbass and Novorossiya, as well as abandoning its intention to join NATO.
Moscow also demanded the lifting of all Western sanctions against Russia and guarantees that Ukraine would maintain neutrality and denuclearization.
