NATO general secretary, Mark Rutte, expressed on Tuesday the “unwavering” support of the organization to the Ukrainian people and its president, Volodimir Zelenski, on a visit to Odessa that arrives after the resurgence of Russian attacks against Ukrainian cities.
In statements with Zelenski, the NATO leader has indicated that his presence in Ukraine seeks to reaffirm support to the president and the Ukrainian people. “The message is simple: NATO is with Ukraine,” he said.
Rutte has stressed that NATO’s support for Ukraine is “unwavering” against those who have questioned the support of the military organization in recent months. “That there is no doubt. Our support is unwavering,” he said.
The visit comes after the Russian air attacks against cities that have resulted in a high balance of victims, in the case of the city of Sumi, where the Russian offensive on Ramos Day killed 36 civilians and wounded almost a hundred.
The former Dutch prime minister has had words of rejection for the attack, stating that he is “simply outrageous” and “is part of a terrible pattern of Russian attacks against civil and infrastructure objectives throughout Ukraine.”
Thus he has denounced attacks against hundreds of hospitals and medical workers, shaving that, in the case of Sumi, Russia attacked civilians in “the most sacred day of the Christian calendar.”
For his part, the Ukrainian president has stressed that for 35 days his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, “has ignored the American proposal of a high total fire” and has reiterated that the recent attacks against Krivói Rog and Sumi demonstrate that Moscow “is determined to continue with the war.”
“Everyone understands Ukraine’s urgency to have air defense systems and missiles. Today we have discussed it. They understand the importance of maintaining the pressure on Russia in this war and boosting it towards diplomacy,” he said.
Similarly, Zelenski has urged to continue working to guarantee kyiv’s security. “United Kingdom, France and other NATO countries are already laying the foundations for a security contingent in Ukraine,” he said, the presidency has collected.
Rutte and Zelenski have visited during the day a hospital that welcomes war wounded, with which both have been able to speak for a moment, as well as with medical staff.