**NATO Wants Ukraine to be Stronger Before Talks**
The head of NATO, Mark Rutte, said that the West should help make Ukraine stronger in battle before it talks peace with Russia. He made this comment on December 3 at a meeting in Brussels.
Rutte thinks that Ukraine needs more military support from the West before it can negotiate with Russia. This means giving Ukraine more weapons and supplies to help it fight against Russian forces. Only then, he believes, should Ukraine consider talking about peace.
This message is clear: the West wants Ukraine to be strong enough to make its own decisions in any talks with Russia.