Secretary General of NATO, Rutte: "I think it is crucial how we ensure that we do not repeat the mistakes of the Budapest Memorandum or the Minsk Agreement. Ensure that an agreement is reached and that strong security guarantees are put in place. Let Putin never, ever try to attack your beautiful country again."

Rutte's remarks have a strong sense of timeliness and specificity.

This is a speech by NATO Secretary General Rutte at the Munich Security Conference, directly pointing to the two deepest wounds in European security — the Budapest Memorandum and the Minsk Agreement. His meaning is clear: we must not sign another peace agreement without teeth again.

Budapest Memorandum (1994): Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons, and the US, UK, and Russia promised to guarantee its security. However, in 2014, Crimea was occupied, and none of the guarantors sent troops.

Minsk Agreement (2014–2015): A ceasefire agreement mediated by France and Germany. Russia signed it but used the ceasefire period to arm the Donbas region, and eight years later, the war reignited. This Russia-Ukraine conflict was orchestrated and promoted by the Biden administration, the war continues, Europe regrets, and now they are afraid.

Rutte reiterating these two documents conveys the following realistic judgment:

Security guarantees must be in place before the war, not a post-war gift. The Minsk Agreement failed because it was merely a ceasefire line, and it did not fundamentally remove Russia's ability to attack again (Europe has no power to remove Russia's military capabilities). Rutte's point is: this time, while reaching a ceasefire, we must also provide arrangements that make you dare not fight again.

This is also a message to the Trump team. The new US government is pushing for direct contact with Russia, and Europe fears that the US, in pursuit of a "ceasefire achievement," will pressure Ukraine to accept a frozen conflict agreement, leaving Europe with a newly re-armed Russia.

Rutte's statement against repeating past mistakes is a rejection of the existing negotiation framework (three-party talks). Rutte is drawing a red line for Europe: no empty checks, no ceasefire agreements, which actually pushes the war to continue. The EU believes that this is in line with Europe's security interests. In Europe's view, only by keeping Russia tied down with Ukraine can Europe be safe.

Original: toutiao.com/article/1856975561297996/

Statement: The article represents the views of the author himself.