New NATO chief Rutte makes Kyiv his first foreign visit

Mark Rutte said he will make increased weapons production a priority as he arrived in Kyiv for his first foreign visit as NATO’s new chief.

The trip amounts to a show of support for Ukraine in its third year of war against Russia’s invasion. Rutte, who took the helm of the 32-member military alliance earlier this week, has said that he will continue to persuade allies to keep supporting Kyiv and its defense capabilities.

“NATO stands with Ukraine,” Rutte told a joint news conference with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday. “Supporting Ukraine and replenishing our own stocks means increasing industrial production, and that will be a priority for me.”

Ukraine is heading into a difficult winter with relentless aerial attacks by Kremlin forces destroying half of its energy infrastructure. Russian troops have also made grinding advances in Ukraine’s east, capturing the strategic outpost of Vuhledar on Wednesday, while Ukrainian troops face shortages of weapons and personnel.

Zelenskyy has so far failed to convince the US to allow the use of Western weapons to strike targets inside Russia and has repeatedly complained that military aid has been slow to arrive.

“Ukraine needs to strengthen its position on the battlefield so that we can increase pressure on Russia for the sake of just and real diplomacy,” Zelenskyy said. “That is why we need enough volumes and quality of ammunition, including long-rage weapons that our partners are delaying.”

Rutte said that allies know that “the need is urgent.” The new NATO secretary general said he wants to work with Ukraine to help build its domestic capacity to produce more weapon “with further investment and further innovation.”

The alliance has led aid deliveries and training for Ukrainian forces. But it faces the challenge of increasing military supplies next year as some countries are struggling to secure funding and others balk at increasing financing to help Kyiv.

U.S. President Joe Biden will convene a leader-level meeting of key allies to coordinate additional support when he visits Germany next week.

Zelenskyy said that Ukraine needs more air-defense and reiterated his calls for partners to help shoot down Russian missiles and drones. He drew a comparison with Western resolve in aiding Israel.

“The joint shooting down of Iranian missiles doesn’t differ from shooting down Russian missiles and Iranian drones which unite the Russian and Iranian regimes,” he said “We need our regional partners to be more decisive to stop Russian terror.”

A former Dutch prime minister, Rutte has been a staunch supporter of Kyiv over the years, with the Netherlands providing military aid including F-16 fighter jets. Zelenskyy welcomed his selection for NATO’s top job, hoping for deeper cooperation with the alliance.

Ukraine wants to join NATO and is pressing the bloc to issue a formal invitation, a move which some alliance’s members, including Germany, do not support.

Kyiv believes that only membership, which it wants to get after the war is over, can shield it from future Russian attacks. Moscow always opposed its former Soviet partner aspiration for closer ties with the West.

“Ukraine is closer to NATO than ever before,” Rutte said. “And we will continue this path until you become a member.”