On Friday 4 April, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that US President Donald Trump would not “fall into the trap of endless negotiations” with Russia over Ukraine. “We will know soon enough, in a few weeks, not a few months, whether Russia is serious about peace or not”, he stressed after the NATO ministerial meeting.
A few minutes earlier, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte had praised the American efforts. “The American administration, Donald Trump, has unblocked the situation and launched the discussions”, he praised, pointing out that the ball was in Russia’s court. “We have to make sure that whenever a ceasefire or a peace deal is reached that it is lasting”, he had said the day before.
On Thursday evening, the Allies assured their Ukrainian counterpart, Andrii Sybiha, of “their continued support for Ukraine in its current battle and to help it strengthen its armed forces for the future”, according to Mr Rutte.
In the first quarter of 2025, the Allies pledged more than €20 billion in aid for Ukraine’s security. Despite this, Mr Sybiha called on the Allies to do more. “Russia must take peace seriously”, he warned. According to him, “it is time to step up the pressure on Moscow. Now is the time for diplomacy, but also for pressure and deterrence”.
The Minister pointed out that his country now spends 26% of its budget on defence. “Modern Ukraine is a guarantor of European and Atlantic peace and security, not a country seeking protection. 800,000 Ukrainian soldiers are defending not only Ukraine, but also Europe. They need to be well armed. Peace must be well armed”, insisted Mr Sybiha, adding that the Ukrainian defence industry would become the backbone of European defence. A new meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group will be held next Friday in Brussels.
The Minister also felt that “solid and lasting” guarantees were directly linked to the ongoing peace process and efforts, “because without them, Russia will attack again”.
The military chiefs of staff of the French and British armed forces were expected in Kyiv on Friday to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire. “At some point, there will be a need for military capability or reassurance, even if peace has been achieved. That is why our military chiefs will be in Kyiv to move this work forward”, explained the French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot on Friday. Next Thursday, the coalition of the willing will meet at ministerial level at NATO.
On the ground, the situation “remains very difficult”, according to a senior Alliance official, who said that the front was stagnating. However, Russia recaptured almost 90% of the territory that Ukraine had won at Kursk “thanks to a surplus of men”. According to this senior official, we should not expect any major changes in the coming months. Russia will continue to increase its pressure on the front line and on Ukraine in general, he added.
Asked about Ukraine’s future membership of the Alliance, Mr Rutte pointed out that the country’s path towards NATO was “irreversible”, but that the Allies had “never promised that membership would be part of the peace agreement”.
Strengthening transatlantic defence. In addition to their support for Ukraine, the Allies have also focused on strengthening their defence. On Friday morning, High Representative of the Union Kaja Kallas presented them with the EU’s ‘White Paper on Defence’, which Mr Rutte described as a “major step forward”.
“The EU is considerably stepping up its defence efforts, and I think we all welcome that”, he explained, adding that the transatlantic relationship remained the cornerstone of European security and global stability, and that the inclusion of non-EU Allies would remain “essential”.
“We must seize this unique opportunity to further strengthen NATO-EU cooperation. We all have an interest in working together”, added Mark Rutte.
“Our ‘White Paper on the Future of Defence’ aims to unlock funding and strengthen defence, capabilities and cooperation. Ultimately, this will strengthen NATO”, promised Mrs Kallas. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)