NATO must ensure negotiation results that Putin can’t overturn in six months or year – Rutte

He said this at a press conference ahead of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting.

A journalist asked Rutte whether the North Atlantic Alliance should initiate a direct dialogue between the U.S. and Russia. The Secretary General emphasized that it is essential “not to overlook Ukraine.”

“If we talk about NATO — the U.S. constitutes 50% of it. Thus, one ally, given its economic power, makes up a significant part of NATO. So yes, we are all collectively part of this alliance and listen to everyone’s voice,” he stated.

At the same time, Rutte stressed that he “cannot speak about who and what can be done,” but NATO must “change the course of the war in Ukraine.”

“We must change the trajectory of the war in Ukraine and ensure that it has the best possible position when any negotiations begin. But we must also ensure that whatever the outcome of these negotiations, it cannot be overturned by Putin in six months, a year, or two,” the Secretary General emphasized.

• Earlier, former U.S. President Donald Trump revealed that he had spoken by phone with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin to try to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine. The Kremlin, however, neither confirmed nor denied this information.
• On February 10, The Telegraph reported that the Trump administration had paused its peace plan for Ukraine to allow NATO allies a seat at the negotiating table.
• On February 11, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that in the event of possible negotiations with Russia, he plans to propose an exchange of captured territories.
• The next day, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that Russia is ready for negotiations but “has never discussed and will never discuss the topic of exchanging its territories.”