“POSITION OF STRENGTH”
NATO countries have declared Ukraine to be on an “irreversible path” to membership.
But the United States and Germany have led opposition to immediate entry, believing it would effectively put the alliance at war with nuclear-armed Russia.
Rutte reiterated the alliance’s line on Thursday saying only that “Ukraine will be a member of NATO in the future”.
“Exactly about the when – I cannot answer that now,” Rutte said.
The US position is unlikely to shift whether Donald Trump or Kamala Harris wins the White House on Nov 5 – though there are fears a second Trump term could upend the support Ukraine receives from NATO’s biggest power.
Ukraine’s allies are well aware that time is of the essence, with the outlook on the battlefield bleak.
Rutte said NATO’s focus remained on keeping “massive military aid moving into Ukraine” in order “to make sure that if ever one day Zelenskyy and his team decide to discuss with Russia how to end this, that he will do this from a position of strength”.
But despite Ukraine’s plea for stepped-up air defence systems – as Russian forces pound its cities and infrastructure – no new announcements were expected from NATO this week.
“VARIOUS WAYS TO DEFINE VICTORY”
Some at NATO argue the setbacks inflicted on Russian President Vladimir Putin since the invasion are already sufficient to justify seeking a negotiated outcome – rather than letting the war drag on indefinitely.
“There are various ways to define victory or to define defeat,” said one NATO official.
On the eve of the NATO meeting, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called for exploring ways to end the war – potentially including talks with Putin.
But according to an alliance diplomat, other voices still fear that anything short of an outright victory for Kyiv would spell “disaster” – ensuring that an emboldened Russia does not stop there.
