NATO chief Rutte says Ukraine membership unlikely in short term

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Thursday said Ukraine’s accession to NATO is unlikely to be decided in the near future due to a lack of political consensus among allies.

Rutte stressed that Ukraine’s membership is not currently at an active stage of political decision-making, noting that member states hold differing views on the pace of the process.

“I do not think that Ukraine’s NATO membership will be resolved in the short term. I do not believe this will happen politically anytime soon — that is my honest assessment,” he said.

According to Rutte, several countries have expressed reservations about accelerating Ukraine’s path to membership, including Germany, Slovakia, Hungary and the United States.