Ukraine must further strengthen its position before considering peace negotiations with Russia, NATO warns. Despite Trump’s promises, there is still a long way to go to resolve this complex conflict…
As the conflict between Ukraine and Russia continues to rage, the question of possible peace negotiations is coming back to the forefront. However, according to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Ukraine is not yet in a strong enough position to begin such talks.
A long road to peace
During an intervention before the European Parliament in Brussels, Mark Rutte insisted that Ukraine must further strengthen its position before being able to negotiate effectively with Russia. According to him, Western allies must step up their support, particularly military support, to enable kyiv to achieve this objective.
This position contrasts with the Donald Trump’s campaign promisesthe US president-elect, who pledged to resolve the conflict in less than 24 hours. If the latter seems since to have qualified his remarks, a meeting between him and Vladimir Putin could nevertheless accelerate the negotiation process.
Putin open to dialogue, under conditions
The Kremlin has in fact announced that the Russian president was ready to dialogue with his American counterpart, welcoming his desire to resolve problems through discussion. However, Moscow did not specify whether any preconditions would be required before opening such negotiations.
Europe called to strengthen its military spending
At the same time, Mark Rutte urged European countries to significantly increase their defense spending facing the Russian threat. Despite the commitment made by NATO members in 2014 to devote at least 2% of their GDP to their military budget, only a minority achieved this objective last year.
“We are safe now, but not in four or five years. So if you don’t, start learning Russian or move to New Zealand. »
Mark Rutte, NATO Secretary General
Although this statement may seem provocative, it nevertheless illustrates the urgency of the situation in the eyes of NATO. Ukraine, which has been fighting for years against Russian interference on its territory, needs the support of its allies more than ever to hope to emerge from this conflict on top.
An uncertain future
Despite the hopes raised by the election of Donald Trump and his stated desire to quickly resolve the conflict, the road to peace still looks long and strewn with pitfalls. Ukraine will have to demonstrate its ability to defend its interestswhile knowing how to seize opportunities for dialogue that may arise.
For their part, Western countries will have a crucial role to play, maintaining pressure on Russia while providing unwavering support to kyiv. It is at this price that the hope of a peaceful and lasting resolution of the conflict can be realized, opening the way to a new era of stability and cooperation in Eastern Europe.
