NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte, expressed on Wednesday in Brussels his strong belief that Ukraine will one day become a member of NATO. Rutte is in Brussels ahead of chairing his first ministerial meeting as the head of the organization on Thursday.
“We are urgently working to establish a new NATO command to coordinate security assistance and training for Ukraine, providing more support to build Ukraine’s future forces, with a military financial commitment of at least 40 billion euros, and supporting Ukraine on its irreversible path toward NATO membership,” Rutte stated.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also spoke on Wednesday, asserting that his plan to win his country’s war against the Russian invasion could bring peace next year. However, his proposal includes a step that some key Western allies have been reluctant to accept: inviting Ukraine to join NATO before the war ends.
Zelensky has been working to gain approval for his plan from Western partners, who so far have not publicly supported this part of the initiative.
“I am strongly confident that one day Ukraine will be a NATO member. Of course, it is up to the allies to discuss among themselves how to move this forward,” Rutte said.