NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and the U.S. special envoy to conflict zones, Richard Grenell, expressed differing views on Ukraine's membership in the Alliance during a discussion at the "Ukrainian Breakfast" in Davos. TSN reports. This was reported by Kontrakty.UA.
This information was also shared by "Radio Liberty" citing its own correspondents.
According to Rutte, Ukraine needs reliable security guarantees. However, he stated that discussing them publicly at this time is not advisable. Additionally, the Secretary General expressed his hope for Ukraine's NATO membership "as soon as possible."
Later, U.S. special envoy Richard Grenell joined the discussion via video link. The American politician criticized Rutte—both as NATO Secretary General and as a former Prime Minister of the Netherlands.
"You will face serious issues if the NATO Secretary General talks about Ukraine joining the Alliance. Americans are paying for defense. You cannot ask the American people to expand NATO's umbrella when current members are not paying their fair share. This also applies to the Dutch, who need to step up," Grenell stated emphatically.