NATO ministerial meeting to focus on aid, not Ukraine membership — Rutte

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte made this statement, reports European Pravda.

Rutte emphasized that partners have agreed on Ukraine’s future in NATO, adding that the Alliance is following the Washington Summit’s decision to build a bridge toward membership through its relationship with Ukraine.

However, Rutte does not expect Ukraine’s membership to be a topic of discussion in the coming days. Instead, efforts will center on military assistance.

He also noted that there are no signs of Russian leader Vladimir Putin preparing for a truce.

Russian aggression shows no signs of slowing down. On the contrary, Putin is escalating his rhetoric and reckless actions, Rutte said. He accused Putin of using Ukraine as a testing ground for experimental missiles and deploying North Korean soldiers to this illegal war.

Earlier, Reuters reported that NATO is unlikely to respond to Ukraine’s call for an invitation to join at the meeting scheduled for Tuesday, December 3.

Such a move, the report notes, would derail Ukraine’s hopes for political momentum, especially with the possibility of Donald Trump returning to the White House.

In a letter to NATO colleagues ahead of the meeting, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha argued that extending an invitation would undermine Russia’s primary justification for its war: preventing Ukraine from joining NATO.

Nevertheless, diplomats, speaking anonymously, said there is no consensus among the 32 NATO members to take such a step at the Brussels meeting of foreign ministers.

A senior U.S. official confirmed that the meeting would focus on bolstering Ukraine’s support, ensuring it is as strong as possible in the next year when "potential negotiations" might begin.

Reaching consensus will take weeks or even months. It won’t happen tomorrow — the best course of action right now is to increase funding, weapons, and mobilization, the official stated.

• The day before, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed readiness to agree to a ceasefire without reclaiming temporarily occupied territories if it means Ukraine can join NATO.