NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte welcomes US efforts to stop the war between Russia and Ukraine, as well as the fact that France and the UK are looking for ways to ensure lasting peace.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated this at a press conference on the eve of the summit of foreign ministers of NATO member states, a Babel correspondent reports.
"I fully support the efforts of the United States to bring this terrible war to a just and lasting end, as well as the efforts of the United Kingdom, France and others to ensure a lasting peace when the time comes. NATO allies continue to support Ukraine," Rutte said.
At the same time, he says that the best way to end the war is for the Russians to "leave Ukraine":
"Unfortunately, that wonʼt happen. So itʼs good that the Americans have started this process. Someone had to break the deadlock, and I always assumed that if Donald Trump was elected president [of the United States], he would try to do that," Rutte said. He added that he fully supports these efforts.
He said NATO must ensure that a peace agreement is reached in Ukraine and a permanent ceasefire is established. Then the Russians will understand that they can no longer attack Ukraine. He also stressed that those responsible for war crimes committed in Ukraine, including in Bucha, must be held accountable.
Rutte added that during the meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council, which will be held on April 3, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha will inform the Alliance about his vision for achieving peace, as well as about the current situation in Ukraine.
What preceded
On March 11, another round of talks between Ukraine and the United States took place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. As a result, Ukraine agreed to an immediate temporary ceasefire — in exchange, Washington decided to resume aid and intelligence sharing. Volodymyr Zelensky said that a 30-day ceasefire would apply to the entire front line if Russia agreed to it.
On March 18, Trump spoke with Putin. They discussed, in particular, the 30-day ceasefire proposed by the United States. Putin demanded that Ukraine stop the mobilization and rearmament of the Armed Forces of Ukraine for this period. After the conversation, the parties reported that Putin allegedly supported the idea of a mutual refusal of the Russian Federation and Ukraine from attacks on energy infrastructure for 30 days.
Trump spoke with Zelensky on March 19. The US president shared with the Ukrainian leader the details of his conversation with Putin. Zelensky said he was ready to support the cessation of strikes on energy and other civilian infrastructure.
The US subsequently agreed with Ukraine and Russia to ban attacks in the Black Sea. However, Russian officials have said that the agreed ceasefire at sea in the Black Sea is contingent on sanctions being eased, contradicting the US statement.
Meanwhile, Russia continues its massive attacks on Ukraine and its civilian and energy infrastructure.
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