– Ukraine will not start the alliance. This is not new, we have been talking about it since 2008 – emphasized Kellogg. He reminded that 17 years ago, the then US ambassador to Russia William Burns warned the secretary of state of Condolesza Rice that the idea of Ukraine's accession to NATO is a “unattainable goal.”
Earlier Bloomberg, citing his sources, informed that The Trump administration presented its European allies in the preliminary plan to end the war in Ukraine. Among the key points is Russia maintaining control over occupied territories, gradually alleviating sanctions against Moscow, as well as rejecting the idea of granting Ukraine membership in NATO.
“Gift for Russia”
According to the sources of the agency, this plan has not yet been officially presented to Kiev. However, according to them, Ukraine is basically ready to consider the ceasefire – provided that the Kremlin decides to take a similar step. At the same time, Bloomberg's interlocutors emphasized that the proposed initiative is not the final peace agreementand only an attempt to find a compromise, the implementation of which will only be possible if Russia ceases to war.
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Donald Trump himself repeated many times that Ukraine “may forget about NATO”. According to him, the promises of the previous administration, in particular President Joe Biden, regarding the provision of a guarantee of joining the Alliance, became one of the reasons for the beginning of Russian aggression. This rhetoric is part of the claims that the Kremlin uses to justify the invasion.
The President of Ukraine Wołodymyr Zelanski criticized such statements. On March 20, he said that the exclusion of the issue of membership in NATO from the negotiating agenda It is actually a “gift for Russia”. – The United States, as the main ally at NATO, currently does not support Ukraine's accession to the alliance. This is the reality – emphasized Zelanski.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte indicated that the potential accession of Ukraine to the alliance should not become a peace agreement. But, according to him, this issue can be resolved regardless of current negotiations and considered in the long run.
