Rutte: The decision on Ukraine's irreversible path to NATO remains in force
The decision on Ukraine's irreversible path to NATO remains in force and will not change after the summit in The Hague, which will take place on June 24-25. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated this at a briefing before the summit.
"Last year in Washington, the Allies agreed that there is an irreversible path for Ukraine to join NATO. And that remains true today, and it will be true on Thursday after this summit," he said.
The Secretary General of the Alliance emphasized that NATO member states were pushed to this decision by Russia's unprovoked aggression against Ukraine, which began in 2014.
"Unprovoked Russian aggression is seen by all NATO members as something we must collectively resist, providing Ukraine with everything it needs to defend its territory," he said.
Rutte condemned the Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities.
"I find attacks on civilians, on cities, on communities in Ukraine without any military purpose absolutely disgusting. We hold Russia fully responsible for this. This contradicts any law, international law," 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.
