NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte landed in Kyiv yesterday right after Russia bombed Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv, with up to 500 missiles and drones. According to President Donald Trump, Russia was supposed to implement a ceasefire on Ukrainians cities and civilian infrastructure.
During a press conference with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, Secretary-General Rutte said that Ukraine is ready and willing to move towards a peace agreement but he has doubts whether Russia shows any will for peace.
France stated that Russia’s attacks on Ukraine’s infrastructure constitute a war crime and that Russia is using delaying tactics instead of showing a will to implement a ceasefire or peace agreement. The EU High Representative Kaja Kallas also stated that Russia shows no signs or will of moving towards a peace agreement. Ukraine is currently under a blackout after Russia systematically attacked Ukraine’s electricity and power infrastructure.
Secretary Rutte also stated that NATO is supporting Ukraine via its coordination of the PURL mechanism by which European allies are purchasing US weaponry to in turn donate their stocks to Ukraine. The PULR has been mainly used for air-defence stocks and 90% of these purchases are going to Ukraine the Secretary-General said. He also added that the future financing needs (€15 billion) will be met and that although some allies are taking a bigger burden than others, burden-sharing needs to increase. He specifically mentioned Canada, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands and Germany and also the Baltic countries as contributing significantly.
You can read his full statement here.
In his address to the Ukrainian Parliament, (Verkhovna Rada), Rutte said that NATO was offering security guarantees to Ukraine in a peace agreement with Russia and said that these guarantees are being provided by NATO allies. His address can be found here.
Newsroom
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