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NATO Chief Mark Rutte Confirms Ukraine’s Irreversible Path Into Alliance
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NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have reaffirmed that neither side is abandoning Ukraine’s integration into the Alliance, despite a lingering lack of full consensus among member states.
The leaders made their statements during a joint press conference in Kyiv on June 3, European Pravda reported.
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The Secretary General emphasized that political decisions regarding Ukraine’s future membership, which were adopted at previous high-level meetings, remain firmly in place while technical preparations for accession continue.
“At the summit on the 75th anniversary of the Alliance, there was also a decision on Ukraine’s irreversible path to NATO,” Mark Rutte stated, according to European Pravda.
Although there is still no unanimous agreement among NATO members regarding an immediate political invitation, Rutte highlighted the deep, practical cooperation between the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the Alliance that continues to strengthen amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“From a practical point of view, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are increasingly integrating with NATO. We are increasingly using the same standards. Our defense industries are becoming increasingly interconnected,” he stated.
“NATO is learning from Ukraine regarding drone technologies and countering drones, but the Alliance can also still help Ukraine, for example, in conducting air combat and so on. So we are able to help each other,” the Secretary General explained, European Pravda wrote.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that during the NATO-Ukraine Council meeting in Kyiv, an absolute majority of delegations expressed clear support for Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations.
“Today, many countries said that they see Ukraine in NATO. And this is true, an absolutely large number, the majority. And no one said they did not want to see it, although some remained silent on this matter,” the Ukrainian President noted, acknowledging that the hesitation of a few nations is what currently blocks formal unanimity.
However, European Pravda reports that the Ukrainian leader expressed confidence that Kyiv’s arguments will eventually persuade the remaining skeptics within the bloc. According to Zelenskyy, Ukraine’s integration is a strategic necessity for the security of all of Europe, which in the long run includes the aggressor state itself.
“Most countries really already understand that the Alliance itself needs Ukraine in NATO no less than Ukraine does. And this is such a long conversation… I believe that the Russians also need Ukraine to be in NATO. Because in the future, it could be painful if Ukraine is not in NATO,” Zelenskyy concluded.
During the same press conference in Kyiv, Mark Rutte had stated that the Alliance sees no issue with Ukrainian drone strikes on St. Petersburg, even as the city launches Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s flagship International Economic Forum. Rutte validated these infrastructure hits as a legitimate response to Russian aggression, drawing a parallel to how Ukraine’s growing long-range capabilities have forced operational adaptations on Moscow.
Zelenskyy reiterated that these operations strictly target oil refineries and military infrastructure rather than specific political figures, framing the actions as a direct, proportional retaliation for recent massive Russian air raids.
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