ODESA, Ukraine – ODESA, Ukraine (AP) – The support of NATO to Ukraine It is still “unwavering,” said the general secretary of the Alliance on Tuesday, emphasizing that more than 20 billion euros in security assistance have already been promised by NATO allies in the first three months of 2025.
Mark Rutte visited Ukraine on Tuesday and met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy In the port city of Odessa.
“I am here today because I believe that the people of Ukraine deserve real peace, true security in their country, in their homes,” said the NATO official during a joint press conference with Zelenskyy. Both visited the hospital in Odesa and met with injured Ukrainian soldiers.
His visit came days after two Russian ballistics The missiles hit Sumy’s heart on Ramos Sunday Tomorrow, killing at least 35 people, including two children and hurting another 119. The city of Northeast is about 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the border of Ukraine with Russia. He marked the second large -scale attack on just over a week to result in important civil casualties.
This is also Rutte’s first trip to Ukraine since the president of the United States, Donald Trump, assumed leadership in the Alto El Fuego negotiations between kyiv and Moscow, which have included several rounds of conversations in Saudi Arabia.
“These discussions are not easy, especially following this horrible violence,” said the NATO official, referring to recent strikes. “But we all support the impulse of President Trump for Peace.”
Ukraine has supported the high fire agreement of the fire proposed by the United States, although Russia has effectively stagnated the process by joining long -range conditions.
Meanwhile, Ukraine and its European partners continue to develop the infrastructure for the “Willing Coalition”, which is expected to act as a long -term security guarantee aimed at deterring the future Russian aggression after it is in place.
In the midst of that uncertainty and American warnings That Europe must deal with its own security and that of Ukraine in the future, multinational force is considered a first proof of the will of the continent to defend themselves and its interests.
Zelenskyy said Türkiye could play an important role in providing future Black Sea Security guarantees for Ukraine.
“Unfortunately, it’s not about finishing the war,” said Zelenskyy, commenting on the security meeting organized by Türkiye on Tuesday and Wednesday. “This is what comes next: safety guarantees for Ukraine after a high fire.”
He said that military representatives of Ukraine, France, the United Kingdom and Türkiye are discussing the presence of a military contingent in the Black Sea as part of those guarantees.
“The fact that these conversations are ongoing, that we are preparing for this hopeful and that eventuality will soon achieve: NATO tries to direct that in the direction that we believe would be advisable,” Routte said.
The meeting in Türkiye occurs less than a month after the United States announced that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to “eliminate the use of force” in the black sea. However, the key details remained unsolved, and the Kremlin has linked the agreement with the lifting of certain western sanctions.
Commenting Continuous negotiations with the United States on a revised draft of an agreement That would give the United States access to The valuable mineral resources of Ukraine. Zelenskyy described the technical conversations last week in Washington as positive, and more consultations are expected in the next few days.
He said the meeting was a technical session for expert teams and that “both parties concluded the meeting with a positive note.” Zelenskyy added that the discussions, both online and person, will continue throughout the week, and once the teams are ready, they will present the results of their work.
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