In his first official trip since taking office, new NATO Secretary-General, Mark Rutte has visited Ukraine.
Rutte met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as well as other officials.
Zelenskyy disclosed at a press conference that he discussed elements of Ukraine’s so-called victory plan with Rutte.
The two also discussed the battlefield situation and the specific needs of Ukrainian military units.
Zelenskyy reiterated that Ukraine needs more armaments, including long-range weapons it has long requested.
Asked whether the war in the Middle East will affect the timeline he had envisioned for the victory plan, Zelenskyy noted that the U.S. and Britain say Iran has supplied missiles and drones to Russia for use against Ukraine.
He also appealed for Western countries to scrap restrictions on Ukraine’s use of Western-supplied long-range weapons to strike deep inside Russia.
“Of course, we want Ukraine to not be forgotten. But the best way not to forget about Ukraine is to provide the appropriate weapons and the necessary permissions.
“And to help shoot down … the same Iranian missiles or drones, just as they are shot down over Israel, to shoot them down in the same way over Ukraine.”
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Zelenskiy was also asked Ukraine’s withdrawal earlier this week from the town of Vuhledar, the latest in a series of Russian battlefield gains in eastern Ukraine this autumn.
To this, Zelenskyy remarked that it was right for Ukraine to pull its forces out of Vuhledar so that they could live to fight another day.
Ukraine is grappling with a critical manpower problem on the front line and is straining to hold back Russia’s grinding assaults.
Though Russia’s battlefield gains have been incremental, its steady forward movement is adding up as the Ukrainians are pushed backward and yield ground.
Rutte Stresses NATO’s Unwavering Support For Ukraine
On his part, Mark Rutte reiterated the alliance’s unwavering support for Ukraine, insisting that “Ukraine is closer to NATO than ever before.”
“Your security matters for ours, and your fight for freedom reflects our core principles and values,” Rutte told a joint news conference, stressing that his first foreign trip as NATO chief demonstrated the alliance’s staunch support for Kyiv.
He said that recent steps taken by NATO “build a bridge to NATO membership” for Ukraine, including 40 billion euros ($44 billion) of funding assistance, bilateral security agreements between allies, and the formation of a new NATO command to coordinate assistance and training.
“Ukraine is closer to NATO than ever before, and it will continue along this path until it secures NATO membership,” said Rutte
Rutte reaffirmed NATO’s stance that Moscow does not get to decide which country can or cannot join the alliance.
Earlier, Rutte met with Verkhovna Rada Chairman, Ruslan Stefanchuk and discussed Ukraine’s path to full membership in the military alliance.
Stefanchuk thanked Rutte for the support already provided to Ukraine, for the F-16s “and for the principled position in terms of the need to punish Russia for all the crimes it committed in Ukraine, including for the downing of the passenger plane flight MH17.”
“Membership in the Alliance is Ukraine’s indisputable goal. I expect that under Mark Rutte’s mandate de facto will turn into de jure,” Stefanchuk said.
He said that Ukraine was well aware that a key element on the road to NATO membership was the implementation of the necessary reforms, so he drew Rutte’s attention to the development and adoption of laws set to bring Ukraine closer to membership in the Alliance.
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