Nato's newly appointed Secretary General Mark Rutte chose to spend his third working day and first foreign trip by traveling to Kiev to demonstrate Ukraine's continued and full support. Rutte and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyj were united in a joint press conference in the capital.
I want to be crystal clear to you, to all Ukrainian citizens, and to everyone watching, that Nato stands by Ukraine's side, said Rutte.
By his side stood Zelenskyj, who repeated a plea to be allowed to use donated high-tech weapons against targets within Russian territory:
We need sufficient quantities of weapons with sufficient quality – including long-distance weapons – which, in my opinion, our allies are dragging out.
Ukraine's president again emphasized that Kiev is trying to convince allied countries that Ukraine has the right to shoot down Russian rockets and drones.
We understand that this is a difficult decision, and that they are not yet ready, said Zelenskyj.
