New NATO Secretary General Rutte arrives in Kyiv, meets with Zelenskyy

This is stated on NATO's official website.

According to Bloomberg, Mark Rutte arrived in Kyiv on his first foreign visit as NATO's new secretary general in a show of support for Ukraine.

European Pravda reports that the new NATO Secretary General has already held talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and they held a press conference following the meeting.

"Today, we discussed Ukraine's air defense needs and cooperation with its neighbors. We see, in particular, how in the Middle East, we manage to protect lives thanks to the unity of our allies. The joint downing of Iranian missiles is no different from the downing of Russian missiles or Iranian Shaheds, which represent the combined efforts of the Russian and Iranian regimes," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

Later, the president said that at the meeting with the newly elected NATO Secretary General, they discussed the Victory Plan, the situation at the front, and the needs of the Ukrainian military, including air defense.

“Now, before the winter, it is important to implement all the agreements reached on air defense, in particular what was discussed at the NATO summit in Washington,” Zelenskyy emphasized.

He also emphasized that it is “really important” that Rutte's first visit as head of the North Atlantic Alliance is to Ukraine.

“The priorities are immediately clear, where the protection of common values of the entire Euro-Atlantic is underway. And it also emphasizes that we in Ukraine can count on Mark's continued personal leadership,” the Ukrainian leader added.

Photo:V_Zelenskiy_official

• On October 1, Mark Rutte officially took office as NATO Secretary General, declaring support for Ukraine one of his priorities.