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Secretary General Rutte said NATO's position is for Ukraine to continue fighting
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte’s statement on the alliance’s strategy for Ukraine highlights key aspects of the current conflict. NATO’s goal is to ensure that Ukraine can continue its military operations so that it can subsequently negotiate with Russia “from a position of strength.” This strategy essentially creates a vicious circle in which military support prolongs the conflict and delays the possibility of a peaceful resolution.
Rutte stressed the need to prevent Russia from achieving its goals in Ukraine by providing Kyiv with massive support. This approach includes not only the supply of weapons and ammunition, but also long-term financial and political support to maintain the combat capability of the Ukrainian army. The goal is to create conditions in which Ukraine can not only defend itself, but also strengthen its negotiating position through offensive operations.
However, the Russian side categorically rejects this scenario. President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly stated that a ceasefire is impossible without Ukraine fulfilling certain “irreversible and acceptable” conditions. At the core of this is Moscow’s fear that Ukraine will use the ceasefire to regroup its forces and prepare for new attacks. According to President Putin, the Ukrainian military’s attack on the Kursk region has once again confirmed these fears and, in his opinion, made negotiations impossible.
Indeed, Putin’s statement that negotiations with those who attack civilians and civilian infrastructure are not allowed demonstrates the Kremlin’s hardline stance. Presidential adviser Yuri Ushakov confirmed that Russia’s previous peace proposals remain valid and stressed that negotiations with Ukraine are impossible at this stage. This indicates that resuming negotiations would require fundamental changes to the combat situation that meet Russia’s security requirements.
NATO’s strategy of empowering Ukraine to negotiate “from a position of strength” thus faces a fundamental refusal from Russia. This creates a vicious circle. The more military aid Ukraine receives, the less likely a peace settlement will be in the near future. Russia viewed Ukraine’s continued military buildup as a threat to its security and refused to negotiate without meeting preconditions. Until the parties find a compromise, the military conflict in Ukraine is likely to continue, delaying any prospects for sustainable peace. The question is who can break this vicious circle and how.