We need to protect Ukraine, make sure Putin never repeats his attempts – NATO Secretary General

NATO is monitoring the negotiation process on a ceasefire in the Black Sea and continues initiatives to further protect Ukraine after a ceasefire is reached, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said at a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Odesa.

Answering a journalist's question about the talks in Turkey, Rutte said that NATO is involved and they are monitoring what is happening, they are also communicating with American counterparts and following Mr. Trump's initiatives to bring Ukraine and Russia to a ceasefire. NATO supports these demands, he said.

He said he was convinced of the successful course of the negotiations.

Rutte said Turkey has already successfully agreed to a ceasefire in 2022, when it was about the grain initiative in 2022. He assumed that Turkey will also succeed this time.

At the same time, he said, initiatives by partners to plan further actions are continuing. In particular, work is underway with the military commands of Great Britain and France on long-term security.

Rutte said there is a fight against Russia right now, but it is about a long-term period, because it is important to understand that a ceasefire is good, but the Armed Forces of Ukraine are the first line of defense, which must always stand on the border of Ukraine. He said these initiatives are ongoing and France and Great Britain are working on this as a coalition. NATO officials are very grateful to them for this and they are trying to recommend, to provide recommendations. Rutte said he is very glad that their partners are participating in these initiatives, but first, they need to protect Ukraine and make sure that they have a ceasefire, and then make sure that Putin never repeats his attempts.

He also mentioned about the Minsk agreements of 2014, when they thought everything worked, but these agreements were not strong enough: and Putin tried again; and so they, as soon as the war is over, must do everything possible so that Putin never even tries to advance or conquer a single kilometer of Ukrainian territory. That is why the British and the French are helping now and working together with the Ukrainians to organize initiatives. It is a lot of negotiations at the moment, Rutte added.