Rutte: We have to make that when talks start Ukraine is in best possible position, outcome has to be durable
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has said that all allies are united about the idea that Ukraine has to be in the best possible position when peace talks start and the outcome has to be durable.
"What we are clearly united about is that first of all we have to make sure that when talks start Ukraine is in the best possible position. […] And at the same time, we are also in total agreement that the outcome has to be durable," he said at a press conference following the NATO Defense Ministers Meeting in Brussels on Thursday.
The Secretary General emphasized that "if talks start, they will not end on day one or day two."
"There is a path there where we have to make sure that talks are successful and it is important that we get to a peace deal. And at the same time to make sure that Putin understands that the West is united, that Ukraine is getting all the support it needs to prevail. That is very important, but also that he understands that we'll only conclude those talks when we are absolutely assured that the outcome is enduring, is lasting," he said.
When asked whether he was sure that Putin really wants peace, Rutte said: "Well, I don't know what is exactly on President Putin's mind of course, neither can you. I have had many meetings with him between 2010 and 2014 in my previous role. He is a strong negotiator. He’s very unpredictable. But in the end, if we want to get to a peace deal, we need him there, because he was the one starting the war of aggression against your country. So, we have to make sure that we never get those talks in a way that the outcome is such that it is clear to the whole world that there is a strong deal."
When asked to comment on an opinion that U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has made concessions even before the start of peace talks, the Secretary General: "I am not in a position on everything everybody is saying. But I would not be surprised about President Trump's views on this. He has been clear during the election campaign that talks were imminent. At least that a phone call with President Putin was imminent. The phone call took place yesterday."
He added that he has not "seen the outcome of peace negotiations. They have not even started. What I know is that all allies here today and I know that the White House thinks the same. I have the opinion that we have to make sure that yes, there is peace in Ukraine."
According to Rutte, "we have to make sure that the outcome is not seen as the loss to the West and that the outcome is seen as enduring."
He also informed the journalists about intensive consultations, including with the United States.
"I will be myself in Munich tomorrow meeting with Vice President [James David] Vance, [Keith] Kellogg, the Special Representative for Ukraine. The Special Representative for [U.S. President Donald] Trump will be here, in NATO, on Monday. Yesterday, I had dinner with Pete Hegseth, the new Secretary of Defense of the United States. So, we are as NATO and the teams of course intensively coordinating," Rutte said.