Rutte: Putin has no authority to decide who can join NATO.

The Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has no veto power or say regarding who will join NATO.

This was reported by RBK-Ukraine, citing NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte during the "Ukrainian Breakfast" in Davos.

"We must be clear that Vladimir Putin has no veto or voice regarding who will join NATO in the future. Only if he himself wishes to join NATO, but I don't think he wants that," the Secretary General stated.

He added that Ukraine's full membership in the Alliance is the best guarantee of sustainable peace.

"But whatever the outcome, it must be clear that the peace is sustainable... When they (the negotiations, - ed.) conclude, we must be confident that the peace we collectively supported will be stable and will never again be questioned," emphasized Stoltenberg.

In addition, the Secretary General highlighted the importance of avoiding a repeat of the scenario seen with the Minsk agreements and urged the West to position Ukraine better ahead of potential negotiations with Russia.

Ukraine's NATO Membership

Last October, President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that most NATO members support the first point of the Victory Plan - inviting Ukraine to the Alliance, but skepticism regarding this issue comes from Germany, Hungary, Slovakia, and the United States of America (USA). Meanwhile, Kyiv does not plan to discuss the issue of NATO membership in exchange for relinquishing the territories occupied by Russia.

The president also noted that the current head of the White House, Donald Trump has the ability to influence whether Ukraine joins NATO.