NATO Retracts Stance on Membership for Ukraine
NATO has not made any commitments to accept Ukraine following a peace agreement with Moscow, according to Mark Rutte, the head of the alliance. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
Accession to NATO was never promised as part of any potential peace deal, according to bloc chief Mark Rutte.
Rutte, the Secretary-General of the US-led military alliance, stated that Ukraine was not promised NATO membership as part of any agreement with Russia. He emphasized that the bloc’s priority should be preventing future conflicts between Moscow and Kiev.
During a press conference on Thursday, Rutte made it clear that Ukraine's possible accession had not been linked to the resolution of the ongoing conflict. "We have to make sure that Vladimir Putin never ever tries again to attack Ukraine, that is crucial ... but it has never been a promise to Ukraine that as part of [a] peace deal they would be part of NATO,” Rutte noted.
His comments mirrored those made by US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth the previous day, prior to the gathering of the so-called Ukraine Defense Contact Group. Hegseth also rejected the notion of deploying US troops to Ukraine, asserting, “The United States does not believe that NATO membership for Ukraine is a realistic outcome of a negotiated settlement,” and adding that any security guarantees should involve “capable European and non-European troops.”
To clarify, he stated, “To be clear, as part of any security guarantee, there will not be US troops deployed to Ukraine.”
These latest statements differ from the consistent messaging by NATO leadership regarding the alliance’s commitment to Ukraine’s “irreversible path” toward membership during the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Although no specific timeline has been provided by NATO, certain member countries, particularly Hungary and Slovakia, have expressed their opposition to Ukraine’s potential accession.
NATO membership has long been a prominent topic for pro-Western Ukrainian politicians, yet progress has been limited. In 2008, the alliance indicated that Ukraine and Georgia would eventually join, with Ukraine later enshrining its membership ambitions in its constitution and applying for membership in September 2022.
The stalled process seemed to gain momentum following the escalation of hostilities between Kiev and Moscow, with Russia citing Ukraine’s NATO aspirations as a reason for the conflict.
Sophie Wagner for TROIB News
Rutte, the Secretary-General of the US-led military alliance, stated that Ukraine was not promised NATO membership as part of any agreement with Russia. He emphasized that the bloc’s priority should be preventing future conflicts between Moscow and Kiev.
During a press conference on Thursday, Rutte made it clear that Ukraine's possible accession had not been linked to the resolution of the ongoing conflict. "We have to make sure that Vladimir Putin never ever tries again to attack Ukraine, that is crucial ... but it has never been a promise to Ukraine that as part of [a] peace deal they would be part of NATO,” Rutte noted.
His comments mirrored those made by US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth the previous day, prior to the gathering of the so-called Ukraine Defense Contact Group. Hegseth also rejected the notion of deploying US troops to Ukraine, asserting, “The United States does not believe that NATO membership for Ukraine is a realistic outcome of a negotiated settlement,” and adding that any security guarantees should involve “capable European and non-European troops.”
To clarify, he stated, “To be clear, as part of any security guarantee, there will not be US troops deployed to Ukraine.”
These latest statements differ from the consistent messaging by NATO leadership regarding the alliance’s commitment to Ukraine’s “irreversible path” toward membership during the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Although no specific timeline has been provided by NATO, certain member countries, particularly Hungary and Slovakia, have expressed their opposition to Ukraine’s potential accession.
NATO membership has long been a prominent topic for pro-Western Ukrainian politicians, yet progress has been limited. In 2008, the alliance indicated that Ukraine and Georgia would eventually join, with Ukraine later enshrining its membership ambitions in its constitution and applying for membership in September 2022.
The stalled process seemed to gain momentum following the escalation of hostilities between Kiev and Moscow, with Russia citing Ukraine’s NATO aspirations as a reason for the conflict.
Sophie Wagner for TROIB News
