New NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is visiting Ukraine today, just two days after taking office, AFP and Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
This is Rütte's first visit abroad since he headed the alliance. In Kiev, he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to assure him that NATO would continue to support Ukraine, despite the dire situation on the front, where Russian troops yesterday captured the strategic town of Ugledar in the eastern Donetsk region.
Zelensky expressed a desire for Western allies to shoot down Russian missiles and drones over Ukraine, as they did with Iranian missiles over Israel two days ago. He also urged them to allow strikes deep into Russian territory – a matter on which there is still no agreement.
In his first press conference since taking office, Rutte said on Tuesday that international law allows for the striking of targets in enemy territory in the event of self-defense.