Throughout an interview with Ukraine’s New Voice, Rutte was requested if NATO had any “crimson traces” within the negotiations to finish the Ukraine battle.
“We don’t have our personal crimson traces, as a result of we’re not a part of that,” Rutte stated.
“We aren’t half, as NATO, of these negotiations. They’re actually pushed by the US, along with Ukraine and the Russians. I’m glad that the US has damaged the impasse, that these talks are actually ongoing,” he added.
Rutte dominated out NATO itself sending peacekeepers to Ukraine.
“In all probability it won’t be NATO as such. That’s not very probably,” he acknowledged, whereas including that particular person member states might dispatch troops on their very own.
“That all the time signifies that it has an influence on NATO territory. It’d have an effect on the protection of NATO territory additionally, going ahead.”
A number of NATO members, together with France, the UK, and Germany, have floated proposals to deploy peacekeepers after a ceasefire is reached.
Rutte pressured that Ukraine’s aspiration to affix the bloc has not been tied to the continuing talks.
“It has by no means been promised to Ukraine that NATO membership might be a part of a peace deal or a ceasefire,” he continued.
“These are two separate issues, a peace deal and the long-term prospect.”
US President Donald Trump reiterated this week that Ukraine will “by no means be a member of NATO.” Russia has cited NATO’s growth eastward as one of many core causes for the battle, and demanded that Ukraine drop its plans to affix the alliance.
Russian Overseas Minister Sergey Lavrov has rejected the deployment of troops from NATO members in Ukraine in any capability as unacceptable.
