Rutte: No Outright Winner Likely in Ukraine War; Kyiv Unlikely to Regain All Territory and War Will End in a Compromise Deal
Brussels — NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on the Dutch television talk show Pauw & De Wit on the evening of November 5 that Russia's war against Ukraine is unlikely to end in a complete victory for either side, that Ukraine is unlikely to regain all of its territory, and that wars of this kind always end in a peace agreement that involves compromise.
Asked whether either side could win the war, Rutte replied: "I don't think that's very likely. These kinds of wars always end in a peace deal, which is often a kind of compromise." He said he hoped the war would end, but that Ukraine was "unlikely to regain all its territory."
Rutte stressed that only Ukraine itself can decide what it is prepared to accept: "Only Zelenskyy and his government can decide that on behalf of the Ukrainian people." He added that he speaks with Zelenskyy every week and holds him in enormous admiration.
Rutte also warned that the end of the war would not eliminate the Russian threat: Russia's huge army would not exist simply for its own sake, and while many of its soldiers are currently busy in Ukraine, they could be redeployed once the fighting stops, so Europe must remain vigilant.
The remarks came days before U.S.-brokered trilateral talks among the United States, Russia and Ukraine scheduled for November 10–11 in Abu Dhabi. President Trump had just met Putin's envoy Kirill Dmitriev at the White House on November 5 and said a deal was "very close," while European officials have made clear that no arrangement made without Europe can be implemented. (Source: Bloomberg)
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Source: Bloomberg
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：北约秘书长吕特（右）与美国战争部长赫格塞思在布鲁塞尔北约总部向记者讲话（资料图）。图片来源：美国空军官方照片，公共领域。 / Photo: NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte (right) speaking to reporters alongside U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth at NATO headquarters in Brussels (file photo). U.S. Air Force photo, public domain.
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