On June 3, a meeting of representatives of Ukraine and the North Atlantic Alliance in the format of the NATO-Ukraine Council was held in Kyiv for the first time in Ukraine. As the PromPolitInform portal informs, this was announced after the meeting held at the Mariinsky Palace by the President of Ukraine and the NATO Secretary General, reports “European Pravda”.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that he is accompanied by representatives of all 32 Alliance member states on his visit to Kyiv.
“I brought with me the entire North Atlantic Council for our historic first meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council in Kyiv. This in itself is a powerful signal of strong ties between NATO and Ukraine. It is important for us to be here, where Ukrainians continue to stand side by side, demonstrating courage and conviction that their freedom is worth fighting for,” he said.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that he considers it important to hold the meeting in Ukraine.
“The Ukraine-NATO Council is a special format of our interaction. And this is the first meeting in this format in Kyiv. This is truly historic. It is important that this format helps to focus partners’ attention on key security issues,” the president added.
According to the publication, the absolute majority of NATO states were present at the meeting at the level of representatives to NATO, and only a few were represented by deputy representatives.
Recall that, commenting on Ukraine’s shelling of St. Petersburg on the days of Putin’s key international event, Rutte joked that the Russian Federation needed Zelensky’s permission, like on May 9.
In addition, Rutte spoke about the increase in Russia’s losses in the war and publicly addressed Russian youth.
The NATO Secretary General and the President of Ukraine also stated that neither side is denying the need for Ukraine to join the Alliance.
