Rubio says Ukraine's NATO membership is not on the agenda
In short
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the question of Ukraine's NATO membership is not currently on the agenda, according to TASS, RIA Novosti, Interfax and Vedomosti. Interfax reported that Rubio said Washington is focused on ending the fighting between Russia and Ukraine and wants to play a constructive role. Vedomosti reported Rubio also said the situation in Ukraine is not developing toward the end of the conflict.
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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the question of Ukraine's NATO membership is not currently on the agenda. TASS and RIA Novosti reported the statement in headline form, and Interfax and Vedomosti carried the same quote in their articles. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Interfax reported that Rubio made the remarks to journalists at a joint press conference with Iceland's foreign minister in Reykjavik. According to Interfax, he said Washington is focused right now on ending the military action between Russia and Ukraine, and noted a US desire to play a constructive role in settling the conflict. [ 3 ]
Vedomosti reported that Rubio also stressed that the situation in Ukraine is not developing toward the end of the conflict. The same outlet placed the statement in a wider context: it recalled that on 1 October President Vladimir Putin said at the Valdai forum that Ukraine's neutral status remains one of Russia's goals, and that Moscow had assumed Kyiv would be a neutral state from the start of the post-Soviet period, before Ukraine wrote a course toward NATO membership into its constitution. Vedomosti also recalled that on 4 August Ukraine's ambassador to London and former armed forces commander-in-chief, Valeriy Zaluzhny, said Kyiv would never become a NATO member and would need many years of adopting NATO standards to approach Russia's capabilities even halfway. [ 4 ]
The Russian outlets published within roughly 35 minutes of one another, with the two state agencies first and the business outlets following with added context. The reports do not indicate any decision, deadline or negotiating step attached to Rubio's statement. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Why it matters
The statement concerns Ukrainian neutrality, which Russian President Vladimir Putin has described as one of Russia's goals, and comes as Washington says it wants a role in ending the war. The documents describe a position rather than a decision or a timetable, so they indicate no immediate change to the conflict or to NATO's enlargement process.
Key facts
- US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the question of Ukraine's NATO membership is not on the agenda right now [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- Interfax reported Rubio said Washington is focused on ending the military action between Russia and Ukraine and wants to play a constructive role in a settlement [ 3 ]
- Interfax reported the remarks were made at a joint press conference with Iceland's foreign minister in Reykjavik [ 3 ]
- Vedomosti reported Rubio said the situation in Ukraine is not developing toward the end of the conflict [ 4 ]
- Vedomosti recalled that on 1 October Putin said at the Valdai forum that Ukraine's neutral status remains one of Russia's goals, and that Ukraine later wrote a course toward NATO membership into its constitution [ 4 ]
- Vedomosti recalled that on 4 August Ukraine's ambassador to London and former armed forces commander-in-chief Valeriy Zaluzhny said Kyiv would never become a NATO member [ 4 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- Whether Rubio also said the situation in Ukraine is not moving toward the end of the conflict Reported only by Vedomosti; the other documents do not mention it
- The venue and format of Rubio's remarks — a joint press conference with Iceland's foreign minister in Reykjavik Stated only in the Interfax article; TASS and RIA Novosti carried the statement without that detail
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- TASS and RIA Novosti report Rubio saying Ukraine's NATO accession is not being discussed [ 1 , 2 ]
- Interfax reports Rubio's remarks at a joint press conference with Iceland's foreign minister in Reykjavik, saying Washington is focused on ending the fighting between Russia and Ukraine [ 3 ]
- Vedomosti reports the same statement, adds Rubio's remark that the situation in Ukraine is not developing toward the end of the conflict, and recalls Putin's 1 October Valdai comments and Zaluzhny's 4 August statement [ 4 ]