NATO Chief Sidesteps Question About Ukraine Joining Alliance

Mark Rutte also warned of the growing Chinese and Russian influence in Africa and the Middle East, saying, ‘NATO has to be active’ in those regions.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte speaks to the media prior to a meeting of foreign ministers at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on Dec. 3, 2024. Virginia Mayo/AP

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has sidestepped a question about Ukraine joining the alliance during a news conference in Brussels on Tuesday.

Rutte was reacting to a question from a journalist about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s comments on Monday that if the unoccupied territory of Ukraine was given NATO membership, it could end “the hot stage” of the war, which began in February 2022.