There's a small problem in discussions on peace deal for Ukraine – NATO secretary general

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has pointed out that all the discussions about a potential peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia in the West are taking place without the involvement 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’."

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 urged greater restraint in the discussions, calling instead for Ukraine to engage in potential negotiations from a position of strength.

He recalled how President Volodymyr Zelenskyy refused to leave the country when the full-scale invasion started, instead calling on Ukraine’s allies to provide weapons.

"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.

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