Ukraine war
New NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte visits Kiev
It is Rutte’s first official trip as NATO Secretary General. photo
© Evgeniy Maloletka/AP
Just a few days after taking office, the new man at the head of NATO is traveling to Ukraine. Mark Rutte emphasizes that the alliance stands with Kiev.
The new NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte visits just two days after taking office Ukraine. The country must continue to be supported in its fight against Russia because “their security is important for our security,” he said at a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kiev. Together they discussed the areas in which Ukraine needs further support and the way in which NATO is working to provide this. The alliance stands on the side of Ukraine.
Rutte also emphasized that Ukraine is closer to NATO than ever before. The country will continue on this path until it becomes a member of NATO. Zelensky emphasized in a post on X that Ukraine’s most important goal is to become a full member of the alliance.
Former Dutch Prime Minister Rutte took over the post of NATO Secretary General on Tuesday from Norwegian Jens Stoltenberg, who was in office for around ten years. Rutte was chosen by the 32 NATO member states in early summer. He should hold the top post for at least four years, after which his mandate could be renewed.
Visit as an important signal
Rutte’s visit is an important signal for Kyiv. In the past, Rutte’s predecessor Stoltenberg persistently advocated for the greatest possible support for Ukraine with Western weapons systems. Ukraine can hope that Rutte will continue on this course.
Before he took office at NATO, Rutte had made it clear several times that, in his view, Ukraine should be able to use Western weapons systems against Russia without restrictions. During his term as Prime Minister of the Netherlands, it was also decided to provide Ukraine with Dutch F-16 fighter jets. Taking into account its economic strength, the Netherlands under his leadership was also one of the countries that provided the most military support to Ukraine.