It a result of a quickening of diplomatic efforts to end the war launched by Russia more than three years ago following U.S. President Donald Trump’s meeting last week in Alaska with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. That was following by Zelenskyy and European leaders, as well as Rutte, meeting Trump in the White House on Monday.
Any peace deal needs to ensure that Ukraine cannot be attacked again by Russia, and likely involves both sending more weapons to Ukraine as well as deploying European troops to the country. However, Russia has already said it will oppose any NATO forces in Ukraine.
Zelenskyy framed the ask in practical terms: Allies must clarify “which countries help us on the ground, which work for the security of our skies, which guarantee security at sea.”
He flagged delays in F-16 jet fighter deliveries as symptomatic of broader coordination issues. “Yes, it is not yet complete, we do not have all the airplanes that we need, but … these are airplanes, they will not be enough to guarantee us safety in the sky,” he said.
This comes as NATO military chiefs convened virtually on Wednesday to hammer out the details of possible security guarantees — and to begin fleshing out military and diplomatic options ahead of any formal peace talks.
Rutte emphasized the urgency of acting and the need to give Kyiv iron-clad assurances. “Our new guarantees should not be like the Budapest Memorandum or the Minsk negotiations,” he warned, referring to the 1994 accord signed in the Hungarian capital that offered Ukraine (failed) guarantees in return for giving up its nuclear weapons, and the unsuccessful 2014 Minsk talks following Russia’s illegal seizure of Crimea.