NATO Chief Sees Ukraine War Ending in ‘Compromise’

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Thursday, Nov. 5, that an outright victory for either side in Russia’s war against Ukraine was unlikely and that he expected a negotiated settlement.Rutte made the remarks on the Dutch television program Pauw & De Wit, Bloomberg reported.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.“These kinds of wars always end in a peace deal, which is often a kind of compromise,” he said.Rutte said he speaks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky every week and expressed admiration for him. He also said a working relationship between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin was important.Rutte warns of Russian threat after the warRussian troops fighting in Ukraine pose less of an immediate threat elsewhere in Europe, Rutte said. He warned that Moscow would still have a large army at its disposal once the fighting ended.The NATO chief also reiterated that the United States remained essential to Europe’s defense.Asked about Trump’s agreement with Putin to allow imports of Russian diesel, Rutte declined to give his verdict on the deal.He said he had told Zelensky that the US was still the only country able to provide some of the military support Ukraine needed.The diesel agreement has meanwhile encountered practical obstacles. Two tankers originally heading toward the US changed course, the Financial Times reported on Nov. 5, amid concerns among potential buyers about sanctions and legal risks. Other Topics of Interest Russia’s War in Ukraine Fuels Prosthetics Boom With Links to Putin’s Inner Circle Government spending on prosthetics nearly tripled between 2021 and 2026, while one manufacturer’s revenue jumped almost 14-fold. Trump announced the arrangement on Oct. 9. Zelensky criticized the deal, warning that additional Russian energy revenues would help finance Moscow’s war.Rutte encourages Trump after election defeatRutte said he sent Trump a brief message after Republicans lost both chambers of Congress in the Nov. 3 midterm elections, telling him to “keep your chin up.”Zelensky has separately expressed hope that the election result would bring greater US support for Ukraine. He said stronger military assistance and closer cooperation between Washington and Europe could influence Putin’s calculations about continuing the war.US to mediate talks in Abu DhabiUS envoy Steve Witkoff said Washington would mediate working-level talks between Ukraine and Russia in Abu Dhabi on Nov. 10–11.Zelensky held a 90-minute conversation with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on Nov. 4 to prepare for the meeting. Ukraine presented its proposals and raised urgent air defense needs.Zelensky called for postwar security guarantees and asked Washington for more Patriot interceptors.Trump also met Putin’s envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, at the White House on Nov. 5 and claimed a broader agreement could involve all of Europe.He offered no details about its terms or whether Ukraine and European governments had endorsed such a framework. Trump confirmed that he did not meet Ukrainian officials who were also visiting Washington that day. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 90% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.