NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte assured that partners are hearing Ukraine's calls regarding membership and are not deviating from their plans. However, the Alliance's December meeting has a different focus. He made this statement at a press conference in Brussels ahead of the NATO ministerial meeting set to begin on December 3, reports EP.
The NATO Secretary General reaffirmed the Alliance's consistent stance on Ukraine's membership prospects. "Partners agree that Ukraine’s future is in NATO", - he noted, adding that in line with the decision of NATO’s Washington Summit, partners are "building a bridge to membership" in relations with Ukraine.
However, the Secretary General does not anticipate discussions on this topic in the coming days. Instead, the Alliance will focus on providing military aid to Ukraine.
"In the coming days, we will concentrate on what can be done to help Ukraine now... The meeting (of Alliance ministers) will focus on ensuring that when Ukraine decides to begin negotiations, it can do so from a position of strength", - stated the Secretary General.
According to Mark Rutte, what Ukraine needs now is "more military assistance and fewer discussions about what peace should look like".