Latest news with #Ukraine-NATOCouncil
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Pentagon chief to skip not only Ramstein meeting, but also Ukraine-NATO Council
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth will not attend the Ukraine-NATO Council meeting to be held as part of the meeting of Alliance defence ministers in Brussels. Source: several independent European Pravda sources in Brussels Details: Hegseth will attend the ministers' meeting on Thursday 3 June, but the United States will be represented at the Ukraine-NATO Council not by the minister, but by Ambassador Matthew Whitaker. It became known earlier that Hegseth would not attend the Ukraine Defence Contact Group (Ramstein format) meeting at NATO headquarters on 4 June. The Pentagon explained that his participation was impossible due to his schedule. It should be noted that the Ramstein meeting will take place on Wednesday, and the ministerial meeting on Thursday morning. The Ukraine-NATO Council will meet for a working lunch at noon, immediately after the ministerial meeting, so Hegseth will be in Brussels at the time of the Council meeting but will not attend the meeting with Ukraine. Hegseth's place at Wednesday's meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group will also be taken by US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker. The AP reported that Hegseth will arrive in Brussels late on Wednesday evening, when the Ramstein meeting will already be over. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Organisers looking for ways to include Zelenskyy in NATO summit programme
Ruben Brekelmans, Dutch Defence Minister, whose country is hosting the June NATO leaders' summit, has said the Netherlands is looking for ways to include Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the programme of the Hague summit. Source: European Pravda, citing remarks by Brekelmans on the programme WNL op Zondag, as reported by Dutch newspaper NRC Details: Brekelmans commented on the possible participation of Zelenskyy in the NATO leaders' meeting, saying that "we are looking for a way to include [Volodymyr] Zelenskyy and other Ukrainians in the programme". It is unlikely to be a plenary session attended by the leaders of all 32 NATO member states. At the previous summit in Washington last July, the Ukrainian president joined the leaders of all member states. However, this year, media reports suggest the Ukraine-NATO Council – which allows for such a format – will most likely not be held, and the summit itself will be shortened to avoid any conflict with US President Donald Trump. Brekelmans noted that a meeting with Zelenskyy could take another form, but did not specify what kind. Brekelmans said he did not know whether it would be a session involving US President Donald Trump, but added that, as far as the Netherlands was concerned, Zelenskyy was always a welcome guest at any meeting. The minister also reaffirmed that Ukraine's future NATO membership is "irreversible", despite recent comments from the US government. Brekelmans added that even under Biden, it had never been stated that this could happen in the near future, and that nothing had changed in this regard. Background: In an effort to stay on good terms with Trump, NATO is preparing a mini-declaration for the Hague summit – likely with no mention of Ukraine. Media previously reported that the US was opposed to inviting Zelenskyy to the NATO summit. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio denied this information. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
