Last month, Rutte had urged lawmakers in the European Union (EU) Parliament to be flexible over the use of funds to help Ukraine and vowed Nato’s continued support to the war-torn country with “costly” US military equipment
Nato Chief Mark Rutte made a surprise visit to Kyiv on Tuesday, hours after Russia launched a barrage of attacks on the Ukrainian capital city and other parts, effectively ending a brief ceasefire agreed upon by President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky posted a video of the pair laying flowers at a memorial in central Kyiv to soldiers killed in the Russian invasion.
Maidan Nezalezhnosti. The People’s Memorial of National Remembrance. A memorial honoring our heroes, warriors, our people who defended Ukraine against the enemy, fought, and made the ultimate sacrifice in this war.
Together with @SecGenNATO Mark Rutte, we honored the memory of… pic.twitter.com/ugWsJChlAV
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) February 3, 2026
Last month, Rutte had urged lawmakers in the European Union (EU) Parliament to be flexible over the use of funds to help Ukraine and vowed Nato’s continued support to the war-torn country with “costly” US military equipment.
Russian attack in Ukraine
Russia launched a late-night attack in Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, early on Tuesday, days after a loose ceasefire agreement between US President Trump and President Vladimir Putin ended.
Local media reports indicate that several residential buildings were hit, while ballistic missiles hit Ukraine’s Dnipro, according to the country’s Air Force.
The attacks come after Putin agreed to pause attacking Ukraine on account of harsh winters that have crippled the country due to a severely damaged energy infrastructure. The ceasefire was a result of a “personal request” made by Trump, as per the Kremlin.
Meanwhile, Russia has confirmed that the second round of trilateral talks between Moscow, Ukraine and the US will be held this week in Abu Dhabi, where discussions will be held to end the war.
‘On survival mode’
As winter tightens its grip, Russia has intensified its strikes on Ukraine’s energy grid, plunging large portions of the country into darkness. These systemic power shortages hit a critical point early Tuesday morning, as temperatures in Kyiv plummeted to a bone-chilling -20°C.
In a conversation with CNN, Ukraine’s biggest private energy company said that it is in “survival mode”, describing the next few weeks as critical as the country reels under subzero temperatures and the “worst condition of our energy system in modern history.”
Of DTEK’s five thermal power plants in Ukraine, the fleet is currently struggling to maintain operations: two facilities are entirely offline, while the remaining three are running at significantly reduced capacity.
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