NATO chief reaffirms support for Ukraine's membership aspirations but current focus on military aid

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte reaffirmed the alliance's support for Ukraine's future membership but emphasized that the primary focus of the December meeting will be on providing immediate military support to Ukraine, he said during a press conference in Brussels ahead of the NATO ministerial meeting.

Rutte confirmed that NATO's position on Ukraine's future membership remains unchanged.

"Allies agree that the future of Ukraine is in NATO," he said.

In line with the decision of the Washington Summit, the alliance continues to "build a bridge to membership" in cooperation with Ukraine, the NATO chief stated.

However, Rutte acknowledged that he does not expect this issue to be discussed in the near future. Instead, NATO will focus on further military support for Ukraine.

"Over the next couple of days, we will concentrate on what needs to be done to help Ukraine now. The meeting will be focused on ensuring that when Ukraine decides to start negotiations, it can do so from a position of strength," Rutte said.

On November 29, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the "active phase" of the war will end when the non-occupied Ukrainian territories receive protection under the NATO umbrella.

On December 1, he expressed Ukraine's desire to receive a recommendation from NATO foreign ministers regarding the country's future invitation to the alliance but acknowledged that this would not happen due to skepticism from some countries.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine published a statement ahead of the NATO ministerial meeting in Brussels, marking the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Budapest Memorandum. The document emphasizes that Ukraine will not consider any alternatives to joining the alliance.