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Create an account Reset password Already have an account? Log in From now on you can download videos from our website If you would also like to subscribe to the newsletter and receive our latest updates, click on the button below. Enter the email address you registered with and we will send you a code to reset your password. The password must be at least 12 characters long, no spaces, include upper/lowercase letters, numbers and symbols. Click the button to return to the page you were on and log in with your new password. 03 June 2026 4 MIN READ Dear Volodymyr, thank you very much for the warm welcome. It is always good to see you and be here in Kyiv. And this time – indeed - I also brought with me the whole North Atlantic Council, for our historic first NATO-Ukraine Council meeting in Kyiv. This, in itself, sends a strong message of the enduring bond between NATO and Ukraine. It is important for us to be here, where Ukrainians young and old continue to stand together – with courage and conviction that their freedom is worth fighting for. Russia’s aggression continues unabated. They are bombarding civilians and civilian infrastructure. Russia is terrorizing the population. Mass missile and drone attacks, to destroy and disrupt and the constant threat of hypersonic strikes. All of this is taking a toll on the people of this country – and increasingly beyond your borders as we saw just last week in Romania. The danger Russia continues to pose is real. And our resolve in defending ourselves and continuing to support Ukraine in the face of this threat is unshaken. Russia’s recklessness is not new. But as Ukraine continues to stand strong – to innovate and to make battlefield gains, Russia is increasingly desperate. Russian losses are substantial – over 30,000 per month. This means loosing more men in one month than the Soviet Union did in 10 years in the 1980s in Afghanistan. Absolutely staggering numbers. I have to say something here. But I need to say it to young Russians and their families. You’re being sold a raw deal. Men like you who join the fight – you won’t be trained. The equipment they’ll provide you is substandard. There is a very high chance you’ll die or be wounded while you’re out there – and odds are that if you are wounded, you’ll be left to suffer in the mud and die. So when we talk about tens of thousands of casualties – that’s not abstract. That will probably be you. Meanwhile, we know Russia’s economy is under serious strain. Even with some temporary relaxing of sanctions due to oil shortages, Russia cannot compensate for the toll their war is taking on their battered finances. The pressure is meant to bring Russia to the negotiating table – to end this terrible war that they started over four years ago – but tragically they show no signs of stopping. The most recent attacks on Kyiv and across Ukraine make this clear. More civilian lives lost, so many wounded. So much damage done. We strongly condemn Russia’s aggression, and continue to call for a negotiated peace – and here, Volodymyr, it’s clear that you’re really pressing for peace. At the same time, we are also clear-eyed about the need to continue our support for Ukraine. That is why I am here today in Kyiv along with all 32 NATO Allies. This is a strong sign of NATO’s continued commitment to our partnership, of our persistent support for Ukraine, and the value of our cooperation. We talked about the challenges Ukraine faces. The support you need. What Allies are delivering. And also how we can continue to learn from and support each other. And we also discussed how Ukraine is successfully changing the dynamics on the battlefield. One of the ways in which we support Ukraine is with the PURL programme – through which NATO provides Ukraine with essential US equipment paid for by Allies and partners. Indeed, this includes the critical air defence that Ukraine needs to protect against the Russian ballistic missiles that continue to target civilian infrastructure across this country. Allies and partners have now pledged nearly 6 billion in US dollars to Ukraine through PURL – and that support will continue. And PURL is just one avenue through which Allies support Ukraine. Others also continue – including through our command in Wiesbaden, Germany, the Czech Ammunition Initiative and many more. We continue to work together and learn from each other in the context of drone and counter-drone technology and tactics. And we are seeing more and more direct cooperation among defence industries, pairing Ukrainian ingenuity with investors and industrial know-how across the Alliance. Both for you on the battlefield today, and for Allies tomorrow. And all of this is an investment in freedom and security. Freedom and security for Ukraine. Freedom and security for NATO. Dear Volodymyr, thanks again for having us here today. Slava Ukraini! Journalist: Question in Ukrainian NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte: I mean, let's first agree that this is crucial stuff, these PAC-2, PAC-3 interceptors. And of course, you always want the overall volume to be bigger than it is. The good news is that the flow continues from the US into Ukraine each day, each week, of these crucial interceptors. To make sure that Russian attacks on civilian infrastructure and innocent people in this country, that the attacks – unluckily they still can be successful, we know – but in many cases, you guys are able to intercept these incoming missiles. The good news is that the missile flow continues. The money is there. Today also, many Allies committed to pay into the programme, which is absolutely crucial. But of course, you always have a risk that intense military operations will have influence on the stocks. But this is not having – and that is good news – an immediate impact on PURL now. Maybe somewhere in the future, but not now. And here the President was right – we are doing everything to make sure that production is ramped up, to make sure that whatever we still have in our stocks in Europe and the US we are able to supply. And where we can find new ways of defending ourselves – and Ukraine is taking initiatives here together with European Allies and our Allies all over the NATO Alliance – we will do that. Journalist : Question in Ukrainian NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte: Could I start? Can I defend the US here? Because the United States, I believe, is doing what it can in terms of delivering PAC- 3 and PAC-2 Patriot missiles to Ukraine. I really believe that, based on all the evidence I have. And whatever they can supply, they do. The money is there. So I go with my team, cap in hand, among European and Canadian Allies, to get the money. We are successful at that. I would love to see a little bit more of a better burden sharing. There's a couple of Allies doing the heavy lifting, but okay, that's my problem. For Ukraine, it is important that the money is there for the interceptors to get them from the United States. The United States keeps on providing them. The US is also still providing all the critical intelligence to Ukraine. So I really want to defend the US here. The problem, of course, here, as the President was saying, is the production rate. So the President, I know, myself, we are also in contact with the manufacturers of this equipment. I know the American President is. Not only because of Ukraine, but more generally in NATO we need to produce more in terms of defence industrial output. The President has been forcing the American companies to quadruple their overall, not only Patriot interceptors, but overall quadruple the defence industry output. And I met one of the CEOs after they had a meeting in the White House. He was still trembling. So I think the President had been quite forceful there. And I know this President is quite forceful, and also discussing with industry. So I think we are all doing what we can. In the meantime, the good news is that this flow of interceptors from the US, despite the work in the Middle East, is continuing. But, of course, what we have to make sure is that also longer term, Ukraine has what it needs now, and in the middle and longer term, also with a view of next winter to defend yourself. Because this is what the Russians are doing. It is cowardly, attacking your cities and your infrastructure, because they cannot win this on the front line. They know that because you are so successful in maintaining the front line. So they are now doing this. They are not successful in demoralising this country. They will not, because you are staunch. But hey, them doing this in this cowardly way still forces us to make sure that the impact is as small as possible. Journalist : I have a question, first of all to SecGen, that's why I would ask in English, but of course, if the Ukrainian President would like to add, I would be happy to hear. SecGen, you have definitely heard from Ukraine plenty times that we don't want to compromise, that we cannot compromise on our goal to join NATO. I believe you could also hear that today. What do you see? Is that still valid for NATO? How do you see, are we still a country which is about to join? And do you still think that Ukrainian armed forces need to change something in its interoperability or we are already there? What should Ukraine do, or it is only on NATO side? And let me also ask on Romania, which you have already mentioned today. Romanian authorities and officials say that they cannot shoot drones approaching the Romanian border, like when drones are still on Ukrainian territory, because it should be a NATO decision to do so. Is that like that, or are there any discussions to start shooting drones outside of NATO territory, because Ukraine is ready to provide that. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte: Well, first of all, on NATO, as you know, there is the political and the practical. So Allies have been very clear, and this was the last time, we confirmed in the NATO Summit at the occasion of the 75 th birthday of the Alliance that there is this irreversible path of Ukraine into NATO. The practical is that at the moment there is no unanimity on that. So again, then to look at it from a practical perspective, what we are seeing now is that Ukrainian armed forces are more and more interoperable with NATO. What we are seeing is that when it comes to the standards, we are more and more using the same standards. When it comes to our industry, it's more and more interconnected. We are learning from Ukraine as NATO when it comes to drone and counter drone technology. And NATO still, when it comes, for example, to fighting a war in the air and other aspects of warfare, we can still help Ukraine in that area, so we can still help each other. A lot is happening, and more and more Ukraine is integrated, let's say, in sense of interoperability and standards with NATO. But when it comes to full NATO membership, the honest answer there is that at the moment there is no unanimity on that. That's not new, that's already the case for some time. When it comes to Romania, as you know, I reacted to this before. NATO stands in solidarity with Romania. Our thoughts are, also my personal thoughts are, of course, with those injured in the attack. We launched Eastern Sentry in September after incursions in Estonian airspace and Polish airspace, which is basically bringing together all the Allied capabilities from up to the high north and down, including, to the Black Sea. And the Supreme Allied Commander and his team are constantly assessing whether there are gaps we have to fill, how we can fill them, how we can make sure that we can, as we do, defend every inch of NATO territory. Agence France Presse: I just wanted to talk about the long-range strikes. We're seeing Ukrainian drones reach into Russia constantly at this point. I wanted to know, Mr Secretary General, what was your position, especially since Ukraine’s drones are sometimes flying over NATO countries? Is that something that you've discussed with President Zelensky? Are you encouraging Ukraine to continue the strikes? And for President Zelensky specifically, if you could comment on today's strikes on the day of the economic forum, what is the signal, what symbol are you guys trying to send? NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte: Ukraine is now so successful that Putin is only able to organise a 9 th of May parade with an official presidential decree by this President. So this is basically how far you got. And I think for two hours you allowed him to do it, and then ended in one hour 55 minutes, so he didn't take a risk. But putting that aside, I think Ukraine is increasingly successful, both when it comes to the front line, but also when it comes to making sure you are able to take out some of the key capabilities and capacities of the Russians to continue with the war. When it comes to, sometimes, incursions into NATO airspace, let's not forget where it starts. This started with Russia's reckless war of aggression against Ukraine, starting in March 2014 and then followed up in late February 2022 with the full onslaught. So, whenever that happens, that's what is behind it. And everybody in NATO realises this, and we know that Ukraine will do everything to minimise the impact. Link was copied to clipboard GALLERIES North Atlantic Council visits Ukraine 03 June 2026 1 / 29 Meeting of the NATO Ukraine Council (NUC) in Ukraine Family photo from the NATO-Ukraine Council (NUC) NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, at the NATO-Ukraine Council (NUC) NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Andrii Sybiha, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine Chair of the Military Committee Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone and Andrii Sybiha, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Wall of Remembrance of the Fallen for Ukraine NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Wall of Remembrance of the Fallen for Ukraine NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Wall of Remembrance of the Fallen for Ukraine NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Wall of Remembrance of the Fallen for Ukraine NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Wall of Remembrance of the Fallen for Ukraine NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Wall of Remembrance of the Fallen for Ukraine NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Chair of the Military Committee Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, and Andrii Sybiha, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Wall of Remembrance of the Fallen for Ukraine NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Wall of Remembrance of the Fallen for Ukraine NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Wall of Remembrance of the Fallen for Ukraine NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Wall of Remembrance of the Fallen for Ukraine NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Wall of Remembrance of the Fallen for Ukraine Joint press conference by. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine Joint press conference by. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine Joint press conference by. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine Joint press conference by. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine Joint press conference by. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine Joint press conference by. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine Joint press conference by. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine Joint press conference by. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine Joint press conference by. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine Joint press conference by. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine Back VIEW METADATA VIEW IMAGE Assets details Description Creation date Location Themes Reference Resolution Aspect radio Format Usage right Credit GALLERIES North Atlantic Council visits Ukraine Back 0.25 0.5 0.75 Normal 1.25 1.5 1.75 2 Back 0.25 0.5 0.75 Normal 1.25 1.5 1.75 2 North Atlantic Council visits Ukraine [Opening remarks] Joint press conference by the NATO Secretary General with the President of Ukraine View usage rights Usage rights CLOSE This media asset is free for editorial broadcast, print, online and radio use. It is restricted for use for other purposes. Back 0.25 0.5 0.75 Normal 1.25 1.5 1.75 2 Back 0.25 0.5 0.75 Normal 1.25 1.5 1.75 2 North Atlantic Council visits Ukraine [Q&A-01] Joint press conference by the NATO Secretary General with the President of Ukraine View usage rights Usage rights CLOSE This media asset is free for editorial broadcast, print, online and radio use. 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