'Europe is ready and willing to step up' — Rutte on security guarantees for Ukraine

Europe is ready and willing to take a leadership role in providing Ukraine with security guarantees, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte wrote on Feb. 17 on X.

Rutte's remarks came after French President Emmanuel Macron hosted a Paris summit of European powers. The summit was held before the beginning of the U.S.-Russia talks on ending the war in Ukraine.

"Ready and willing. That's my take from today's meeting in Paris," Rutte wrote.

"Europe is ready and willing to step up. To lead in providing security guarantees for Ukraine. Ready and willing to invest a lot more in our security. The details will need to be decided, but the commitment is clear," Rutte added.

During the Paris meeting, the participants discussed the defense capabilities that Europe could provide to Ukraine to ensure reliable security guarantees, including a plan for Ukraine's "automatic membership in NATO" in the event of Russia's clear ceasefire violation, according to The Guardian.

European leaders are concerned about the potential imposition of neutrality on Ukraine and joint U.S.-Russian powers' sharing of agreed-upon spheres of influence following the negotiations.

The talks between Russia and the U.S. began on Feb. 18.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, and Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff are meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Kremlin foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov.

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The Kyiv IndependentChris York