NATO secretary-general Mark Rutte told Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky “your security matters for ours” on Thursday during his first visit to Kiev since becoming the alliance’s top official this week.
The former Dutch prime minister also reiterated NATO’s pledge that Ukraine would one day be a member of the alliance.
However, Zelensky called on Western allies urgently to provide the kind of military support that some of them have given to Israel in its battle with Iran.
“Your security matters for ours, and your fight for freedom reflects our core principles and values,” Rutte told a joint news conference. He said his first foreign trip as NATO chief underscored the alliance’s support for Ukraine.
“Ukraine is closer to NATO than ever before, and it will continue along this path until it secures…membership,” he said, two days after taking up his new job.
Zelensky said he wanted to see Kyiv’s allies shooting down missiles and drones used by Russia against Ukraine, just as some of Israel’s allies did when Tehran attacked Israel with missiles this week.
“We are working with them, at present they are not ready (to do this,”he said.
He renewed his appeal to Western allies to allow Ukraine to conduct deep strikes inside Russia, saying they were “delaying” their decision over long-range weapons.
“We cannot stop Russia, which is using those weapons against us, destroying everything,” he said.
Allowing Ukraine to strike targets deep inside Russia would boost its capabilities in disrupting Russian logistics and command chains. Ukraine’s allies have held off on making such a move so far.
