Rutte: For a ceasefire, Russia must make sure that NATO does not retreat

The unwavering support for Ukraine provided by the North Atlantic Alliance and its partners should influence Russia's decision to cease fire, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said in an interview with the LRT television channel.

Rutte noted that the Alliance and partners are able to provide Ukraine with "everything it needs to survive in this struggle" and are fully committed to "a long-term peace or at least a ceasefire." This should be an argument for Russia.

"We must make sure that Russia clearly understands that it has no chance of winning this war. That we, all NATO member states, are completely united, as are other countries: New Zealand, Australia, Japan, which are also actively helping Ukraine repel the Russian attack," Rutte said.

The NATO Secretary General noted that he does not yet see any signs of a quick end to the Russian-Ukrainian war.

"At the moment the war is still very active, the Russians are still attacking Ukraine, we have seen this over the last few weeks. The Russians have only intensified their attacks with drones and missiles against innocent Ukrainians, Ukrainian cities, and not just against military targets," Rutte said.

He declined to speculate on when Russia would be ready for a ceasefire, but reiterated the importance of the Kremlin understanding NATO's unwavering position on Ukraine.

"Whatever is going on in the minds of the leaders in Moscow, during the discussions we must make sure that they know that we will not back down, that we are fully committed to continuing to support Ukraine," he said.

• On June 2, Rutte confirmed that Ukraine's membership in NATO remains on the agenda, and the Alliance will continue to support it in the Russian-Ukrainian war.
• On the same day, Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine had been invited to the NATO summit in The Hague. The event will be held on June 24-25.