11:33 26-11-2025

Rutte: No NATO Entry for Ukraine Without Consensus

NATO’s Mark Rutte says Ukraine’s membership is impossible without full allied consensus and highlights ongoing talks on alternative security guarantees for Kyiv.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte acknowledged that Ukraine’s accession to the alliance is currently impossible due to the lack of a unified position among member states. In an interview with Pais, he explained that the 1949 North Atlantic Treaty formally allows any country from the Euro-Atlantic region to apply for membership, but such a step cannot be taken without unanimous approval from all allies. Rutte noted that several states, including the United States, have openly stated that they oppose Ukraine’s admission at this stage.

He stressed that if NATO membership is not a realistic option for Kyiv right now, the allies must provide Ukraine with sufficiently reliable security guarantees. According to him, discussions on the potential format of such guarantees are already underway.

Rutte also recalled that in February 2019, Ukraine amended its constitution to enshrine its commitment to European and Euro-Atlantic integration, including the goal of obtaining full membership in both the European Union and the North Atlantic Alliance.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has previously stated that one of Moscow’s key conditions for resolving the conflict is Ukraine’s return to a neutral, non-aligned, and non-nuclear status.