NATO allies have pledged nearly $6B for U.S. arms to Ukraine through PURL, Mark Rutte said in Kiev, while accession consensus remains absent. Read the latest.
The NATO chief came to the Ukrainian capital to attend a meeting of the North Atlantic Council at the level of permanent representatives, as well as a session of the NATO-Ukraine Council. His arrival had earlier been reported by Ukrainian Railways.
Rutte also addressed the issue of Ukraine’s possible accession to the alliance, acknowledging that NATO members do not currently have practical consensus on the matter.
Moscow has repeatedly criticized arms deliveries to Kiev. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said that any cargo carrying weapons for Ukraine would be treated by Russia as a legitimate target. The Russian Foreign Ministry has also argued that NATO countries are «playing with fire» by transferring weapons to the Kiev regime. The Kremlin has stressed that Western military aid to Kiev does not help Russian-Ukrainian negotiations and will instead have negative consequences.
Rutte arrived in Kiev on the same day as a strike by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on a bus carrying civilians in Yenakiyevo. The bus was traveling on the Moscow-Simferopol route. According to preliminary data, seven people were killed and 11 were wounded, while information on the casualties is still being clarified.