New NATO chief Rutte reaffirms support for Ukraine on Kyiv trip

KYIV - NATO chief Mark Rutte told Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy "your security matters for ours" on Thursday during his first visit to Kyiv since becoming the alliance's secretary-general.

Rutte also reiterated NATO's pledge that Ukraine would one day be a NATO member, but Zelenskiy said he wanted the Western allies urgently to provide the kind of active military support that some of them have given to Israel in its battle with Iran.

"Your security matters for ours, and your fight for freedom reflects our core principles and values," Rutte told a joint news conference, stressing that his first foreign trip as NATO chief demonstated the alliance's staunch support for Kyiv.

"Ukraine is closer to NATO than ever before, and it will continue along this path until it secures NATO membership," said Rutte, a former Dutch prime minister who only took up his new job on Tuesday.

Zelenskiy said he wanted to see Kyiv's allies shooting down missiles and drones used by Russia in its attacks on Ukraine, just as some of Israel's allies did when Tehran attacked Israel with missiles this week.

"We are working with them, at present they are not ready (to do this," Zelenskiy said.

Zelenskiy also renewed his appeal to the Western allies to allow Ukraine to conduct deep strikes inside Russia with weapons supplied by them, saying they were "delaying" their decision.

"Without long-range weapons, we cannot stop Russia, which is using those weapons against us, destroying everything," he said.

Allowing Kyiv to hit targets deep inside Russia would boost its capabilities in disrupting Russian logistics and command chains. Wary of Russia's response, Ukraine's allies have held off on making such a move.

Zelenskiy was also asked Ukraine's withdrawal earlier this week from the town of Vuhledar, the latest in a series of Russian battlefield gains in eastern Ukraine this autumn.

'LIVES NEED TO BE SAVED'

"Lives (of soldiers) need to be saved because they are our people, they are citizens of Ukraine. Therefore it is very right that they can retreat and save themselves," he said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, citing among other reasons Kyiv's ambition to join NATO, which Moscow regards as a direct threat to its own security.

In Kyiv, Rutte reaffirmed NATO's stance that Moscow does not get to decide which country can or cannot join the alliance.

NATO officials and diplomats expect Rutte to maintain the priorities of his predecessor, Norway's Jens Stoltenberg – rallying support for Kyiv, pushing NATO countries to spend more on defence, and keeping the U.S. engaged in European security.

As prime minister of the Netherlands, Rutte previously approved the transfer of Dutch F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.

In his new role, Rutte faces numerous challenges, including a possible return of NATO-sceptic Donald Trump as president of the United States - the alliance's predominant power - and calls from eastern European allies for more reinforcements to protect against Russia.