The new NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte made a surprise visit to Kiev just days after taking office. In the Ukrainian capital, the former Dutch prime minister held talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky and promised to continue supporting the country in the war with Russia.
“This is my fifth time in Ukraine” since the Russian invasion began. “We visited Odessa, Kharkiv together and obviously we had numerous meetings here in Kiev, but this is my first time here as Secretary General of NATO – he said at the press conference – It was important for me to come to Ukraine at the beginning of my mandate , to make it clear to the Ukrainian people and all those who observe that NATO stands by Ukraine“. “As the new NATO Secretary General it is my priority and my privilege to continue this support”, underlined the former Dutch Prime Minister.
According to Rutte, supporting Ukraine is an investment in European security and the costs of helping Kiev are lower than the possible costs that would be incurred in the event of a Russian victory. ”Ukraine is now closer than ever to NATO”, declared the new secretary general of the Atlantic Alliance. Ukraine’s path to NATO membership is “irreversible”, Rutte added, saying that Russia “has no right to vote, no veto on this issue”.
Zelensky illustrated to Rutte ”the plan for victory” for Ukraine over Russiathe Ukrainian president said during the joint press conference, adding that he had also discussed the ”situation on the battlefield” with the former Dutch prime minister.
”Mark Rutte’s first visit as NATO secretary general is to Ukraine and this is truly significant,” Zelensky wrote on ‘X’. ”It immediately and clearly outlines priorities, highlighting where the shared values of the entire Euro-Atlantic region are being defended at this time,” he added. Rutte’s visit to Kiev, Zelensky continued, ”also underlines that we in Ukraine can count on Mark Rutte’s continued personal leadership”.
”Our main objective, of course, remains Ukraine’s full membership of the Alliance,” Zelensky underlined, explaining that he also discussed with Rutte ”the current needs of our troops, as well as Ukraine’s air defense needs and further cooperation with our neighbors”. Finally, he concluded, ”with winter approaching it is essential to implement all agreements on air defense, in particular those discussed at the NATO summit in Washington”.
The chronicle of the attacks
Moscow blames Kiev for drone barrage which, he claims, were shot down in the last few hours on Russian territory. The air defense “intercepted and destroyed 113 Ukrainian drones”, communicates the Moscow Defense Ministry, according to the Russian Tass agency. Most of the drones were shot down over the Belgorod region, Moscow announced, specifying that other UAVs were destroyed over the Voronezh, Kursk and Bryansk regions.
Kiev for its part claims to have shot down 78 kamikaze drones launched by Russia during the night against several Ukrainian regions. During the night, according to official news reported by the Ukrainian media, “105 Shahed drones were detected” and 78 were shot down by the Ukrainian air defense over the regions of Kiev, Cherkasy, Vinnycja, Khmelnytskyi, Kirovohrad, Zhytomyr, Poltava, Chernihiv, Kherson, Odessa, Kharkiv, Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk, Rivne and Ivano-Frankivsk. According to information released by the Ukrainians, “one drone went in the direction of Belarus” and others “disappeared from radar”.
Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov said Russia attacked Kharkiv last night with a Kab guided bomb, which hit a residential building and injured at least 12 people, including a child. All residents of the building have been evacuated and rescuers are working at the site of the attack. There could be people buried under the rubble, Syniehubov added.
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