Ukraine Not Yet In Strong Position For Peace Talks: Nato Chief

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said Monday that Ukraine was not yet in a strong position to begin peace talks with Russia ahead of President-elect Trump taking office next week with a pledge to end the war.

Rutte told the European Parliament's foreign affairs and defense committees the hope was to ensure Ukraine has adequate security guarantees so that Russia could not attack again, but he expressed doubt that the current stage of the war afforded the opportunity for such a deal.

"At this moment, clearly, Ukraine is not there," he said. "Because they cannot, at this moment, negotiate from a position of strength. And we have to do more to make sure, by changing the trajectory of the conflict, that they can get to the position of strength."

Rutte said the peace talks also have to grapple with Ukraine's future relationship with NATO.

"But it's too early now to exactly sketch out what that exactly will mean, also something we have to discuss with the incoming U.S. administration," he said. "But let's hope that we will get to that point as soon as possible."

Trump, who takes office Jan. 20, confirmed last week he is planning a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin said it was open to the possibility.

Trump said during his campaign he would end the war quickly, but has more recently played down expectations. He has said in recent weeks Ukraine is "much more complicated" than the war in the Middle East and, during a press conference last week, said he hopes to solve it "long before six months" into his second term.

The Biden administration has tried to increase Ukraine's strength by surging weapons to the country and lifting late last year a policy preventing Kyiv from firing long-range missiles deep into Russian territory.

Still, several billion dollars in approved security aid are being left over for the Trump administration to potentially use.

Ukraine is struggling against a larger Russian army across the eastern front line, where Russia is pressing ahead, particularly in the Donetsk region.

Ukraine is also losing territory in the Russian region of Kursk, a part of which Ukrainian troops occupied in August.

Rutte, who has repeatedly warned that Ukraine must be in a strong position for any negotiations, said Monday the future of European security hinges on the war against Russia.

"We all want this war to end," he said, "but above all we want a peace to last. I don't know how or when the war will end, but I do know peace will not last if Putin gets his way in Ukraine."