NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is visiting Kyiv on his first official trip since taking the role.
Former Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte arrived in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, on Thursday — two days after assuming the role of NATO Secretary General.
Rutte met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as air raid sirens sounded in the city, promising “to make crystal clear” to all observers that the Western military alliance stands with Ukraine in its fight against a Russian invasion.
What the NATO chief said
Speaking alongside Zelenskyy, Rutte said Ukraine’s “fight for freedom” reflects NATO’s core principles and values.
“Ukraine is closer to NATO than ever before and will continue on this path until you become a member of our alliance,” Rutte told Zelenskyy.
“Ukraine gets stronger day by day, more interoperable with NATO and better prepared than ever to join our alliance,” he said. “And this is basically building the bridge to NATO membership for Ukraine.
Rutte added that it was also important for NATO members to boost production to be able to provide weapons for Ukraine and restock the depleted arsenals of members.
“In the last few weeks, several allies announced further military aid for Ukraine, including new contributions from Denmark, from Latvia, the United Kingdom and nearly $8 billion of assistance from the United States,” Rutte said.
