President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who visited Kyiv on the eve of Ukraine’s Independence Day.
The Head of State thanked Mark Rutte for his personal engagement in the peace process, his ongoing support for Ukraine, and his participation in the Washington meeting.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Mark Rutte discussed joint steps that could provide greater security for Ukraine and all of Europe and bring the war to a real conclusion. In particular, they focused on preparing reliable security guarantees. The President noted that negotiations on the specific content of security guarantees for Ukraine are ongoing practically every day.
“Our shared goal is exactly as it is formulated in the dialogue with partners – Article 5-like guarantees, similar to Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty. These are truly effective security guarantees, and that is the outcome we must achieve: a crystal-clear architecture of which countries assist us on the ground, which are responsible for the security of our skies, which guarantee security at sea and support Ukraine,” the Head of State said.
Security guarantees should also include funding for the Ukrainian army in the size and quality that will provide real defense for Ukraine.
Among other topics, the meeting discussed the implementation of the PURL program, through which European partners have already allocated USD 1.5 billion to Ukraine. Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Mark Rutte also talked about engaging additional partners in this initiative.
“New participants will soon join – we are grateful to each and every one of them. This enables Ukraine to procure from the United States such critically needed items as air defense systems – first and foremost, Patriots, missiles, HIMARS, and other types of weaponry,” added the President.
The meeting also addressed in detail the funding of Ukrainian drone production. The President emphasized that Ukraine’s potential in this area far exceeds its financial capabilities. According to him, the funding gap of more than EUR 6 billion needs to be closed in the near future.
“I witnessed innovations Ukraine brings to the table with drones. And allies can learn a lot from Ukraine,” said Mark Rutte.
The President of Ukraine and the NATO Secretary General also exchanged views on working together to end the war. Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed that he is ready for meetings with the Russian leader, both bilaterally and in a trilateral format involving the United States.
“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. We see a strong signal from the United States that they are ready to move forward. Europe and other countries within the Coalition of the Willing are also ready to help – and we are grateful for that,” emphasized Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Mark Rutte noted that during the meeting in Washington, U.S. President Donald Trump clearly stated that the United States would be involved in providing security guarantees for Ukraine.
“This is what we are now working to define. So that when the time comes for you to enter that bilateral meeting, you have the unmistakable force of Ukraine’s friends behind you, ensuring that Russia will uphold any deal and will never ever again attempt to take one square kilometer of Ukraine,” concluded the NATO Secretary General.
