Politics

NATO chief arrives in Kyiv as Russia bombards Ukraine

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NATO chief arrives in Kyiv as Russia bombards Ukraine
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky (R) and Secretary General of NATO Mark Rutte shake hands during their press-conference following their talks in Kyiv on Aug.22, 2025. (Sergei Supinsky/AFP via Getty Images)

Editor's note: this story is being updated.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte arrived in Kyiv on Feb. 3 as Russia launched a large-scale strike on Ukraine overnight.

The news comes as Ukraine and Russia prepare for another round of talks this week aimed at ending Russia's full-scale invasion. Representatives of Ukraine, the U.S., and Russia are set to meet in Abu Dhabi on Feb. 4-5.

Rutte and President Volodymyr Zelensky placed memorial candles and paid tribute to fallen Ukrainian soldiers at a memorial on Maidan Nezalezhnosti, according to the President's Office.

Rutte also spoke at a meeting of the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament.

Rutte said on Jan. 21 that Ukraine, not Greenland, should be the main priority for NATO. U.S. President Donald Trump has pressed Danish and Greenlandic authorities to sell the strategically important island to the U.S., not ruling out the use of military force and threatening tariffs on eight European countries opposing the move.

Previously Rutte visited Kyiv in August 2025.

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Oleg Sukhov

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Oleg Sukhov is a reporter at the Kyiv Independent. He is a former editor and reporter at the Moscow Times. He has a master's degree in history from the Moscow State University. He moved to Ukraine in 2014 due to the crackdown on independent media in Russia and covered war, corruption, reforms and law enforcement for the Kyiv Post.

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