BRUSSELS — NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg dismissed suggestions from U.S. quarters to compel Ukraine into relinquishing territory or forgoing future NATO membership in exchange for ending the conflict with Russia.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!“We cannot entertain the idea of Minsk 3,” Stoltenberg stated firmly during a press briefing, referencing previous unsuccessful peace agreements between Moscow and Kyiv. “There’s no indication that Putin is willing to engage in meaningful peace negotiations.”
The Minsk agreements of 2014 and 2015, brokered with significant involvement from Germany and France, aimed to halt Russia’s initial incursion into Ukraine, which began with the illegal annexation of Crimea and escalated into conflicts in eastern Ukraine involving Russian-backed forces.
Although the Minsk deal outlined a ceasefire and provisions for self-government in parts of eastern Ukraine, it was viewed in Kyiv as cementing Russian influence over Ukraine’s internal affairs and was never fully implemented. Russia unilaterally abandoned the agreement in 2022 before launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Reports from advisors of Donald Trump, the presumptive presidential nominee for the Republican Party, suggested strategies to pressure Ukraine into abandoning efforts to reclaim Russian-controlled territories and to negate its prospective NATO membership as part of a peace settlement with Russia.
In response to these proposals, Ukrainian officials, including Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian president’s office, reaffirmed Ukraine’s steadfast stance: “There will be no compromise on independence or territorial integrity.”
Stoltenberg highlighted Russia’s history of aggressive actions against Ukraine to underscore the impracticality of Kyiv accepting peace terms outlined by the Trump camp. “We’ve witnessed a pattern of Russian aggression against Ukraine since 2014, starting with the illegal annexation of Crimea and extending to ongoing military incursions,” he emphasized.
Looking ahead, Stoltenberg expressed optimism about Ukraine’s prospective NATO membership, stating, “I strongly hope that Ukraine will become a NATO ally within the next decade.” The issue of Ukraine’s membership is expected to feature prominently during the upcoming NATO summit in Washington, where member states continue to deliberate on Ukraine’s request for a definitive membership offer.
Stoltenberg, set to step down in October, remains committed to securing Ukraine’s security and stability in the face of ongoing Russian aggression.