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NATO's Rutte, in Odesa, declares 'unwavering' support for Ukraine

15 April 2025 20:38 (UTC +04:00)

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte visited the southern Ukrainian city of Odesa with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday and declared "unwavering" support for Ukraine in the aftermath of a deadly Russian attack in the north of the country, APA reports citing Reuters.

Rutte's visit came two days after Russian ballistic missile strikes on the city of Sumy on Sunday killed 35 people and wounded more than 100, according to Ukrainian officials.

Rutte said the 32-member alliance was still strongly behind Kyiv, even as it also supported Trump's peace initiative.

"NATO stands with Ukraine," Rutte said at a press conference with Zelenskyy. "You and I know that this has been true all along. I also know that some have called NATO’s support into question in the last couple of months. But let there be no doubt: Our support is unwavering."

Rutte said he and Zelenskyy discussed the talks that the Trump administration was holding with both Russia and Ukraine.

"These discussions are not easy – not least in the wake of this horrific violence – but we all support President Trump’s push for peace," he said.

"Russia is the aggressor, Russia started this war. There's no doubt," he said.

Zelenskyy said the main focus of the talks was strengthening Ukraine's air defence.

"Absolutely everyone sees how urgent Ukraine's need is for air defense systems and missiles for them," he said on X, mentioning Patriot systems, made mainly by U.S. defence companies Raytheon and Lockheed Martin.

"Patriot systems are defensive weapons, and we're not just asking for Patriots — we are ready to purchase them," Zelenskyy said.

"This is a purely political matter — the systems are available in the world, the missiles for the Patriots are also available, and whether we will have sufficient protection from Russian ballistic strikes depends entirely on political decisions."

Zelenskyy and Rutte visited a hospital where Ukrainian soldiers were recovering from their wounds.