Ukraine and NATO reaffirm commitment to long and lasting peace

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stressed on Thursday that any ceasefire or peace deal to stop the war in Ukraine must be "lasting".

"I commend of course the American efforts to break the deadlock, that is important. We have to make sure that whenever a ceasefire or a peace deal is reached that it is enduring, that it is lasting," said Rutte on Thursday.

Rutte emphasised that the outcome of this war is of detrimental importance to the rest of the world. In his speech he added that the war in Ukraine is not just a war between two neighbours, but very much a “global conflict”, noting that Russia is working with its allies; China, North Korea and Iran, to achieve its objectives.

Rutte also stressed that the winner of this war is extremely important as he stated that many regions’ safety and stability across the world, such as the Indo-Pacific, are at stake.

“Ultimately there is an audience of one which will be judging the outcome of this war and that is the first secretary of the Communist Party of China, Mister Xi Jinping,” said Rutte.

“And he will be watching who comes out on top. Is it Russia or the West? And that will also inform him in his next steps in the Indo-Pacific, I have no doubt.”

His words were echoed by Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Andrii Sybiha, who called for a "long-lasting, comprehensive peace".

"Ukraine has shown its readiness to achieve peace. We accepted the US proposal for a full interim 30-day ceasefire without any conditions. This proposal is still on the table. But we can see that instead of accepting it, Putin talks about demands and conditions,” said Sybiha.

“Russia must get serious about peace," added Sybiha as he called for nations to exert more pressure on Moscow to agree to a deal.

"Now is the time for diplomacy, but also pressure and deterrence. While the media attention is on global trade wars, we must not forget, there is a real full-scale war going on in Europe. Russia remains an existential threat to Europe," warned Sybiha.

The comments came as NATO foreign ministers, including US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, met in Brussels. During the talks ministers were set to discuss the situation in Ukraine.