Rutte named the countries that will block Ukraine's NATO membership.

According to ТСН: NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated the countries blocking Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic integration. Despite promises of an 'irreversible path', there is a lack of consensus in the Alliance due to the position of the USA and two European states.

Rutte announced this information during a joint press conference with Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak, which was broadcast by Sky News.

Problems with consensus

The head of the Alliance emphasized that full agreement among all member states is required to make a decision on NATO membership; however, there is currently no consensus. Among the countries that are not yet ready to support this decision, Rutte named Hungary, Slovakia, and the USA. He noted that the list could be even broader. This situation creates a real obstacle for unanimous voting, despite the agreements reached at the Washington Summit in 2024.

Alternative approach to security

As the swift accession of Ukraine to NATO is currently problematic, the Alliance is working on an alternative approach to guarantee security for Ukraine after the war ends. Rutte presented a concept of 'three levels' of protection:

• the first level - Ukraine's ability to independently deter potential aggression;

• the second level - support from a group of European countries and Canada, who are ready to provide direct military and political assistance; here, the UK and France play a key role;

• the third level - reliance on US resources and their political commitments.

The allies continue discussions on the final configuration of this 'collective package of guarantees', the goal of which is to make any new aggression from Russia either impossible or very costly for Moscow.

Acknowledging the unattained

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky stated that even before the start of the large-scale war, he received a clear refusal from then-US President Joe Biden regarding Ukraine's membership in NATO. Although Kyiv viewed the Alliance as the only real guarantee of security, the American leader clearly stated that Ukraine would not be in the bloc.

Zelensky also confirmed receiving a draft of security guarantees from the USA, emphasizing the need to include a clause similar to NATO's 5th Article. Kyiv is preparing its proposals for the document, which must be legally binding and clearly define the mechanism for responding to renewed Russian aggression.

Thus, the situation surrounding Ukraine's potential NATO membership remains complex, requiring further efforts from allies. New security guarantees initiatives may be an important step toward stability in the region, but their implementation depends on reaching consensus among the Alliance participants.