The fate of the four missing soldiers is still unknown, a NATO spokesperson clarified after Secretary General Mark Rutte said they had died. Rescue efforts are currently underway.
Speaking to the BBC, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that it was "important that President Zelensky finds a way to restore his relationship with the American president and with the senior American leadership team."
Europe is ready and willing to take a leadership role in providing Ukraine with security guarantees, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte wrote on Feb. 17 on X.
The remarks come amid ongoing uncertainty over U.S. aid commitments to Ukraine.
"If (Russian President Vladimir) Putin attacks NATO, the reaction will be devastating. He will lose," NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said.
A key focus of the meeting is geopolitics and EU relations with the United States, with U.S. President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs expected to dominate the agenda.
NATO Chief Mark Rutte also insisted Ukraine was not losing the war against Russia.
"Allies are on track to deliver on the pledge made at the Washington summit," a NATO press statement said following a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council on Jan. 29.
NATO Chief Mark Rutte said on Jan. 23 that Russian President Vladimir Putin has no authority to influence NATO's future membership decisions.
"If this new Trump administration is willing to keep on supplying Ukraine, the bill will be paid by the Europeans," NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
"Everything I'm seeing at this moment is not nearly enough, and if we don't do it (raise the spending targets) we are safe now but not in four or five years. So if you don't do it, get out your Russian language courses or go to New Zealand," NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said.
Editor's note: This article is an on-site version of KI Insights' The Week Ahead newsletter covering events from Jan. 13 to Jan. 20. Sign up here to start your week with an agenda of Ukraine-related events, delivered directly to your inbox every Sunday. With 8 eight days left until the
Zelensky emphasized involving NATO members in purchasing Ukrainian weapons under a model pioneered by Denmark. The Danish government became the first country to offer to donate arms to Ukraine via direct purchases from the Ukrainian defense industry, as Kyiv's defense budget does not match the capacities of domestic weapons production.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Dec. 27 that "NATO will enhance its military presence in the Baltic Sea" following the recent damage to the Estlink 2 power cable in the Gulf of Finland likely caused by Russia.
In the interview, Rutte said that Scholz's contributions to Ukraine are commendable. The chancellor ensured that Germany ranks second after the U.S. in military support for Ukraine, something Kyiv could express its gratitude for, Rutte noted.
President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Brussels on Dec. 18 for talks with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, as Ukraine seeks to secure more air defense as well effective security guarantees from its Western allies.
Ukraine's allies have doubled down on economic and military support for Kyiv in attempts to strengthen the war-torn nation's hand before any potential peace talks.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte warned on Dec. 12 that the alliance is not ready for the threats it will face from Russia in the coming years, urging a shift to a wartime mindset with significantly higher defense spending.
NATO countries will do all they can to provide Ukraine with air defenses necessary to protect its infrastructure but there is no surplus of such systems, Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Dec. 4.
NATO's two-day ministerial meeting will focus on providing Ukraine with enough military aid to enable it to enter any possible negotiations from a position of strength, Secretary General Mark Rutte said ahead of the meeting in Brussels on Dec. 3.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has told U.S. President-elect Donald Trump that Washington would face a "dire threat" from China, Iran, and North Korea if Ukraine is forced to accept an unfavorable peace deal, the Financial Times reported on Dec. 2.
Key commitments from NATO's July summit in Washington, including air defense systems and other military support, have not yet been fully implemented, President Volodymyr Zelensky told NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Nov. 27.
Rutte and Trump discussed a range of security issues facing NATO, according to the military alliance's press release.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also issued a stern warning regarding North Korea’s recent deployment of troops to support Russian forces, stating this "demands and will receive a firm response."
"We have to work together. So I look forward to sitting down with Donald Trump to discuss how we can face these threats collectively, what we need to do," NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said.
"North Korea sending troops to fight alongside Russia in Ukraine would mark a significant escalation," NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on social media following a conversation with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced that the next meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Council is scheduled for Oct. 17. The meeting will bring together defense ministers from NATO member states alongside Ukraine’s Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.
"The message (to Russian President Vladimir Putin) is that we will continue, that we will do what's necessary to make sure that he will not get his way, that Ukraine will prevail," Mark Rutte said during a joint interview with Reuters and German radio Hessischer Rundfunk on Oct. 13.
Key developments on Oct. 10: * Ukraine confirms strike on Russian airbase in North Caucasus housing Su-34, Su-27 jets * Zelensky presents victory plan to Starmer, meets NATO Secretary General Rutte * Kyiv confirms death of Ukrainian journalist Viktoria Roshchyna held in Russian captivity * Oil depot in occupied Crimea's Feodosia burning for 4th
President Volodymyr Zelensky presented Ukraine's victory plan to U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer during the former's visit to London on Oct. 10.
NATO's new Secretary General Mark Rutte warned on Oct. 8 that Ukraine may be facing its most challenging winter since the start of the full-scale invasion, as the country prepares for more Russian attacks against energy infrastructure.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Oct. 3 that the decision of the Ukrainian military to withdraw from the front-line town of Vuhledar was "absolutely correct" as it helped save the lives of Ukrainian soldiers.
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