NATO Chief, Mark Rutte has asserted that Ukraine has made it clear they want a ceasefire and immediate talks, so Russia must respond.
Rutte told reporters from the sidelines of an informal NATO Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Antalya, Turkiye, that he was “cautiously optimistic” for progress towards peace in Ukraine, but that it was up to Russia to take the “next steps necessary.”
He stated that he sees opportunities for progress on ending the war in Ukraine, despite Russian President, Vladimir Putin missing talks in Istanbul.
“I’m still cautiously optimistic that if also the Russians are willing to play ball, and not only the Ukrainians are doing this … that you could get to some breakthroughs over the next couple of weeks.”
Mark Rutte
Russian President, Vladimir Putin appears poised to skip talks in Istanbul that he initially proposed, and which Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky agreed to attend in person.
Instead, Moscow has dispatched a team headed by hard-line former Culture Minister, Vladimir Medinsky to Istanbul.
Rutte said that Russia was sending a “lower level delegation out to Turkey to these peace talks.”
“It’s now up to the Russians to make sure they take the next steps necessary. The ball is now clearly in Russia’s court. They have to explain what they are doing, why they are here or not.
“Ukraine is ready to commit to a ceasefire and immediate negotiations. That’s absolutely clear.”
Mark Rutte
Despite the hopeful tone from the NATO boss, European Foreign Ministers were downbeat on Russia’s willingness to make advances.
France’s Jean-Noel Barrot said, “The best we can hope for in these technical discussions is indeed a ceasefire, an immediate, unconditional ceasefire, that would allow for proper peace negotiation.”
He insisted that talks needed to avoid the same “traps” that caused negotiations to fail back in 2022 and warned that Europe was preparing “massive” sanctions on Russia’s financial and energy sectors if the Kremlin does not make concessions.
Latvian Foreign Minister, Baiba Braze, however, said that the security bloc sees “no indications that Russia wants peace in Ukraine.”
Braze told reporters on Thursday ahead of an informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Turkiye, that weakening Russia’s military capabilities is the “most direct and cheapest way … to achieve peace in Ukraine.”
US ‘Impatient’ For Progress In Ukraine Peace Efforts
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio said that Washington was “impatient” for progress in peace efforts between Ukraine and Russia.
The comments come ahead of potential direct talks between Ukraine and Russia to end the war, with US President Donald Trump pressing both sides for results.
“Obviously, we’re in a very difficult spot right now, and we hope that we can find the steps forward that provide for the end of this war in a negotiated way and the prevention of any war in future.
“So a lot of work. We remain committed to that. Obviously, like everyone else, impatient, we want to see it happen, but it’s difficult. But you know, hopefully progress will be made here soon.”
Marco Rubio
Rubio added that Trump is open to “virtually any mechanism that gets us to a just, enduring and lasting peace, and that’s what he wants to see.”
Aside the NATO Foreign Ministers summit in Antalya, two other meetings are taking place in Türkiye.
In Ankara, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy will meet Turkish President Erdogan, while direct talks between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations will take place in Istanbul.
READ ALSO: BoG Governor Pushes for Fintech and Regulatory Unity in One Africa Vision
