Russia has 'no say' over whether Ukraine can join NATO, Rutte says
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Nov. 26 that Ukraine's accession to the alliance depends on unanimous agreement among member states — not on Russian demands.
"Russia has no say or veto over who can be a NATO member," Rutte told Spanish media outlet El Pais. "But within the Alliance, membership requires unanimity," adding that several NATO allies, including the United States, oppose Kyiv's entry.
Rutte's remarks came amid a week of intense diplomacy, after the United States reinvigorated peace talks with a controversial 28-point plan widely viewed as favoring Russia.
While the proposal has since been pared down following conversations with Ukraine and Europe following consultations with Ukraine and European partners, the original version reportedly included provisions barring Ukraine's NATO aspirations — effectively stipulating a Russian veto of Ukraine's membership in the alliance.
Moscow has long claimed that NATO expansion forced it into war, although Ukraine is not a NATO member. Following the invasion, Sweden and Finland both joined the alliance, citing Russia as a security concern.
He also added that the latest version of the peace plan, which emerged after negotiations in Geneva, provided a "good foundation for further discussions," but added that any proposal will require a "separate, parallel discussion" with NATO "on certain issues."
"When you look at the peace plan (we) want to ensure that Putin never tries to attack Ukraine again," Rutte said. "If NATO membership is not an option, we must at least provide security guarantees that are strong enough to make Russia never try again."
Rutte also noted that Russia’s offensive progress in 2025 remains minimal, adding that Moscow "advances only a few meters a day" and has struggled for 18 months to seize Pokrovsk.
Located in northwestern part of Donetsk Oblast, the city of Pokrovsk has been at the epicenter of fierce fighting along the Russian-Ukrainian line over the past year. Small Russian units, oftentimes lone individuals, have been infiltrating the city, sometimes dressed as civilians, the military has previously reported.
Regardless of how current peace efforts unfold, Rutte believes that "Russia will remain a long-term threat for a long time."
"If a Russian president is willing to sacrifice a million people from his own people for this fallacy of correcting history, we must be prepared," he said, adding that this is why "we must spend much more on our defense." Rutte stressed that "a peace plan does not change the assessment of Russia as a long-term threat to Europe."
