NATO is working with Ukraine, bringing it ever closer to Alliance – Secretary General

He stated this at a joint press conference with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukrinform reports.

“So NATO is working with Ukraine – bringing you ever closer to the Alliance. And we are also working with other partners to bolster security for us all,” he said.

According to Rutte, China has become a decisive enabler of Russia’s war against Ukraine.

“The war in Ukraine has shown that instability in Europe can have far reaching consequences across the world. And that countries thousands of miles away – as far away as Iran, China and even North Korea – can become security spoilers in our own backyard,” he said.

Rutte stressed that “the world is closely linked – and so is our security. China has become a decisive enabler of Russia’s war against Ukraine. And it cannot continue to fuel the biggest conflict in Europe since the second world war without this impacting on its interests and reputation. Iran and North Korea are fuelling Russia’s war machine with missiles and drones in return for support for their military industries. So we must be clear-eyed in our assessment of the challenges we face. And we must work with our like-minded partners to address our shared challenges and uphold our common values.”

Rutte also said that he looks forward to the day that “Ukraine is here as a member of this Alliance. And until then, we will continue to do all that we can to ensure Ukraine prevails. This is vital for our shared security.” 

As reported, a two-day meeting of NATO defense ministers began in Brussels on October 17. Today, the NATO-Ukraine Council meeting at the level of ministers is taking place in the format of a working dinner. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, who arrived in Brussels to participate in the European Council meeting and to present Ukraine’s Victory Plan to EU leaders, joined the meeting.