Hungary, US, and Slovakia against Ukraine's NATO membership - Rutte
Kyiv • UNN
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated that Hungary, the US, Slovakia, and possibly a few other allies oppose Ukraine's membership in the Alliance. He noted that at the 2024 Washington Summit, allies agreed on Ukraine's irreversible path to NATO, but in practice, some members are against it.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated that Hungary, the United States, Slovakia, and possibly a few other allies oppose Ukraine's membership in the Alliance, UNN reports with reference to The Guardian.
Details
Rutte noted that any country in the Euro-Atlantic region can apply for NATO membership. He also recalled that at last year's Washington Summit in 2024, allies agreed on Ukraine's irreversible path to NATO. However, according to him, in practice, several NATO members oppose Ukraine's accession.
... there is a practical element. And the practical element is that right now, as we speak, several allies are saying that they will not give their consent and will therefore abstain from a unanimous vote on Ukraine's accession to NATO; countries such as Hungary, the United States, Slovakia, and possibly a few others. So that's the practical sense
Rutte also spoke about "three levels" of security guarantees for Ukraine after a peace agreement, starting with the Armed Forces of Ukraine, then the Coalition of the Willing, and US support.
"Discussions are currently underway on what exactly this would mean and what this collective package of security guarantees would then look like," he says.
Recall
The US and Ukraine discussed a scenario in which Ukraine would effectively be excluded from joining NATO through agreements between the Alliance and Russia. At the same time, Kyiv would not be forced to officially abandon its aspiration to join the alliance.