NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said Monday that Ukraine was not yet in a strong position to begin peace talks with Russia ahead of President-elect Trump taking office next week with a pledge to

Ukraine is not currently in a strong enough position for peace talks with Russia, NATO chief Mark Rutte said Monday, as Trump gears up to take power in the US.

Ahead of his meeting with President-elect Trump, Russian President Putin is focused on securing agreements that would prevent Ukraine from joining NATO and reduce the alliance's presence in the region.

Vladimir Putin will not alter his demands for the isolation of Ukraine and does not intend to relent on this matter during any potential negotiations to end the war, according to the American Institute for the Study of War.

Ukraine has to be in the strongest possible position when it decides to sit down with Russia as this is the global geopolitical context, said NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the Ramstein meeting.