Mark Rutte. Photo: Bloomberg via Getty Images
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said he is familiar with the details of the “victory plan” presented by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and is currently consulting with NATO member states on the next steps, Reuters reports.
Rutte emphasised that the process of Ukraine’s accession to NATO, one of Zelenskyy’s key demands, is “irreversible”. At the same time, he noted that the “victory plan” contains other important points and is currently discussing it in full with NATO members. One of the points of the plan includes an unconditional invitation to Ukraine to join NATO.
However, Rutte did not directly respond to Kyiv’s request for a formal invitation to join the Alliance.
“At the NATO summit in Washington, it was decided that Ukraine’s path to NATO membership is irreversible,” Rutte said. “We are working closely with our allies and with Ukraine to determine the next steps and to do so in a way that will be successful.”
While NATO member states support Ukraine’s future accession to the Alliance, they also note that this is not possible during a time of war and have not set a specific timeline for accession.
“We are actively discussing the ‘victory plan’ with Ukraine and are using every opportunity to move it forward step by step,” Rutte added.
