With a massive attack on Ukraine, Russian leader Vladimir Putin has once again shown his desperation due to the successes of the Ukrainian military at the front, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated, calling on Alliance allies to continue providing military support to Kyiv.
As an Interfax-Ukraine correspondent reports, Rutte said this at a press conference ahead of the NATO summit in Ankara on Monday.
The Alliance Secretary General stated that the threats faced by the allies were real, in particular from Russia, which continued to wage war against Ukraine. He noted that Ukraine was currently changing the dynamics of hostilities thanks to the bravery, dedication, and resourcefulness of its armed forces, but emphasized that it needed constant support from the allies, especially in the field of air defense.
He emphasized that Ukrainian cities are constantly subjected to attacks by Russian drones and missiles, adding that another horrific attack had occurred the previous night. Rutte stressed that while Ukraine continued to defend its sovereignty, NATO allies and partners had to continue to ensure that Ukraine received what it needed, making it clear that all members of the Alliance had to make an effort to ensure that support for Ukraine continued to flow uninterrupted.
He emphasized that attacking innocent civilians and infrastructure in Ukrainian cities was not the way Russia would ever be able to win this war.
The NATO Secretary General stated that while it was terrible for the people caught in the epicenter of events, and his thoughts and prayers were with them as well as with the residents of Kyiv and other cities who had to endure it, the fact remained that over the past few months, Ukrainians had been doing much better than in those terrible months of the past.
He added that Ukraine’s security was very closely linked to their own.
According to him, the message demonstrated by the Russian Federation through the attack on Ukraine had once again shown how desperate Putin was, as the Ukrainians were doing well on the battlefield.
At the same time, Rutte called such actions by the Kremlin terrible news for all the Russian families concerned, saying that Putin was ready to accept that up to 35,000 of his people, mostly servicemen, would die on the battlefield, which was terrible news for their families.
Separately, he also emphasized that Ukraine was achieving success both on the frontline and in deep strikes within the Russian Federation. Rutte believed that Ukrainians were managing on the frontline to prevent the Russians from making significant breakthroughs, as had been the case a few months prior, and that the situation was then more or less in a state of stalemate.
On July 7-8, the NATO summit will take place in the Turkish capital, Ankara, which will also be attended by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
