NATO continues to support Ukraine
NATO’s Secretary General visited Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova.
Ştefan Stoica, 16.04.2025, 13:50
NATO’s Secretary General visited Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Tuesday made a surprise visit to Odessa, a port city in southern Ukraine with an important strategic position, enhanced by the war that is disfiguring this country. The timing, just two days after the bloody Russian attacks on the city of Sumy, was intended to encourage Ukraine and reassure it of the support of the free world. US President Donald Trump’s efforts to achieve a general ceasefire between Kyiv and Moscow are not easy, said Mark Rutte. He denounced the Russian attacks against civilians in Ukraine, which he described as ”terrible”.
These talks are not easy, especially as a result of this horrible violence, but we support all of President Trump’s efforts in favor of peace, the NATO Secretary General said. He added that NATO would continue to support Ukraine, saying that the Ukrainian people have endured so much – not least the attack in Sumy on Palm Sunday, and that NATO’s support is unwavering. ”We will continue to help Ukraine so that it can defend itself today and deter future aggression, ensuring a just and lasting peace,” Rutte wrote on the X platform.
The double Russian attack in Sumy, in northeastern Ukraine, killed dozens of civilians and injured about 100. Following this attack, President Volodymyr Zelensky stressed that his country urgently needs air defense systems to protect its cities. The Ukrainian head of state also spoke out in favor of the rapid and effective preparation of a Western military contingent in Ukraine. On the other hand, the NATO Secretary General said, in an interview with a Ukrainian station, that the decision of the Washington summit in 2024 according to which Ukraine’s path to joining the Alliance is irreversible remains in force.
After Odessa, Mark Rutte visited Chisinau, where he had a meeting with the President of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu. According to the presidency in Chisinau, the discussions between the two officials focused on security developments in the region, efforts to restore peace in Ukraine and cooperation between the Republic of Moldova and the North Atlantic Alliance, based on the new Individual Partnership Program, adopted by the Government in January 2025. The Republic of Moldova has been cooperating with NATO within the Partnership for Peace for over 30 years, a cooperation that respects the country’s constitutional status of neutrality and contributes to increasing the citizens’ security, the Moldovan President said. She added that the Alliance’s support has helped Moldova strengthen its capacity to prevent and respond to crises, modernize its security and defense institutions, and protect the information and cyberspace. (EE)
