The new head of NATO, Mark Rutte, visits Ukraine

2024-10-03 20:01:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The new Secretary General of NATO, Mark Rutte, visited Ukraine on Thursday, on his first official trip since taking office. He pledged the alliance's continued support for Kiev in its fight against Russia.

Mr Rutte met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kiev. While the head of the alliance was in the Ukrainian capital, air raid sirens went off twice.

Since taking office on Tuesday, Mr. Rutte has pledged to guarantee Western support for Ukraine, which is facing a Russian attack from February 2022. Meanwhile, for most of this year, Kiev has been on the defensive, due to relentless Russian attacks in the eastern regions of the country.

Mr. Rutte expressed confidence that he will work with whoever is elected in November as president of the United States, the most powerful member of the alliance. This could be a key moment for Ukraine's efforts to secure continued Western support.

Mr Zelenskyy said he discussed elements of Ukraine's so-called victory plan with Mr Rutte ahead of a NATO meeting to be held at the Ramstein air base in Germany next week. The meeting brings together defense leaders from more than 50 partner countries, who meet regularly to coordinate arms assistance for the war.

The two leaders also discussed the situation on the battlefield and the specific needs of Ukrainian military units. Mr. Zelenskyy reiterated that Ukraine needs more armaments, including long-range weapons.

Asked if the war in the Middle East would affect the timelines he had predicted for implementing the victory plan, Mr. Zelenskyy noted that the United States and Britain have said that Iran has supplied Russia with missiles and drones to was used against Ukraine.

He called on Western countries to lift restrictions on the use of long-range weapons supplied by the West to strike deeper into Russian territory.

"Of course we want Ukraine not to be forgotten. But the best way not to forget Ukraine is to provide the right weapons and the necessary permits," said Mr. Zelenskyy, so that, as he added, "the same missiles and drones supplied by Iran are shot down in Ukraine as happened in Israel".

Mr. Rutte reiterated the alliance's unwavering support for Ukraine, stressing that "Ukraine is closer to NATO than ever before."

He said recent steps taken by NATO "build a bridge to alliance membership" for Ukraine, including $44 billion in financial aid, bilateral security agreements between the allies and the formation of a new NATO command to coordinate aid. and military exercises.

Mr Rutte arrived after a Russian bomb hit a five-storey apartment block in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, injuring at least 12 people, including a 3-year-old girl, local officials said on Thursday.

The bomb hit between the third and fourth floors of the building on Wednesday evening, causing a fire, Kharkiv regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said.

The city of Kharkiv, which lies about 30 kilometers from the Russian border, has been a frequent target of airstrikes throughout the war, which is now heading into its third year./ VOA