NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte arrived in Ukraine to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. At the meeting, the parties discussed joint steps that could give Ukraine and all of Europe greater security and bring the war closer to a real end. In particular, they discussed the preparation of reliable security guarantees.

The President of Ukraine and the NATO Secretary General also exchanged views on joint efforts to end the war.

“Truly strong sanctions are needed if they do not agree to a diplomatic solution to this war. If they do not want to end the war, we are counting heavily on strong packages from our partners. We believe everything must be done to ensure Russia can no longer evade such meetings,” Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized.

It should be recalled that Mark Rutte supported Ukraine while serving as Prime Minister of the Netherlands. At that time, he facilitated the provision of weapons and ammunition to Ukraine, including F-16 fighter jets, and strongly condemned Russia’s actions. During his visit to Kyiv on February 17, 2023, in an interview, Mark Rutte emphasized that the Netherlands and the EU remain steadfast in their position that Crimea is Ukraine. 

Mark Rutte also paid attention to the Crimea stand presented at the URC 2024 in Berlin.

We are grateful to our international partners for their unwavering position and support of Ukraine’s territorial integrity. Because Crimea is 🇺🇦.