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NATO chief Mark Rutte welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to Brussels on Wednesday evening, to discuss, with other European leaders, the war in Ukraine, a few weeks before Donald Trump’s return to the White House.
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December 18, 2024 – 9:24 p.m.
(Keystone-ATS) This meeting is “a very good opportunity to talk about security guarantees for Ukraine, for today and for tomorrow,” launched Mr. Zelensky alongside Mr. Rutte, from the steps of the Secretary General’s Brussels residence of NATO.
This meeting on the eve of an EU summit aims to bring together the “most resolute” European allies in their support for kyiv in order to consolidate reflection on two subjects: how to approach the new Trump administration and what can be done more for Ukraine?, summarizes a diplomat in Brussels.
“Europe needs a strong and united position to enable lasting peace,” insisted the Ukrainian president.
Europeans are worried about the possibility of a suspension of American military aid to Ukraine and Donald Trump’s promises to end the war “in 24 hours”. In this context, Ukraine is now raising the possibility of peace negotiations, which it has long rejected, on condition that its security is guaranteed.
The leaders of Germany, Poland, Italy, Denmark, the Netherlands and the main institutions of the European Union are expected for this meeting around Mr. Rutte.
Neither British Prime Minister Keir Starmer nor French President Emmanuel Macron, who will visit Mayotte, a French archipelago in the Indian Ocean devastated by Cyclone Chido, will be present. They will be represented by their foreign ministers. Mr. Macron, however, met face-to-face with President Zelensky in Brussels before flying to Mayotte.
“Strengthening Ukraine now is not only a moral imperative, but also a strategic one,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen insisted on Wednesday.
The priority is to ensure that Ukraine “is not forced to accept a peace that would be dictated to it”, echoed German Chancellor Olaf Scholz upon his arrival in Brussels.
“Last peace”
On Tuesday, Mr. Zelensky called for “a lasting peace” that Russian President Vladimir Putin “can no longer break.” And the only way for him to guarantee it is for Ukraine to join NATO to benefit from its protection.
This “irreversible” perspective, according to NATO, is however not current and the idea is necessary to offer other security guarantees.
France and Poland discussed last week in Warsaw the sending of troops to Ukraine to ensure compliance with a possible ceasefire.
The discussion is progressing but it is still difficult given the uncertainty surrounding Donald Trump’s future proposals, underlines a European diplomat.
Mr. Rutte refused to address it on Wednesday, believing that talking about it in public would make things too “easy” for the Russians, who would only have to “watch TV, cigar in their lips”, to find out everything about plans of the Allies.
For the Ukrainian president, the urgency is above all to obtain more weapons in order to be able to change the situation on the battlefield.
According to Rutte, Ukraine has indicated that it needs 19 additional air defense systems to protect itself from constant strikes by Russian forces against its cities and energy infrastructure.
The Ukrainian army, undermined by a lack of men and weapons, has been on the defensive for more than a year. Since the fall, his forces have been retreating more and more rapidly.
Moscow claimed Friday the capture of two new Ukrainian localities after claiming to have conquered some 189 since the start of the year.
