Rutte and Zelenskyy say Ukraine's position and economy to be discussed in Brussels
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed ahead of talks in Brussels on Wednesday, 18 December, that they will focus on strengthening Ukraine's position and the economy. Source: Rutte and Zelenskyy at a briefing for journalists, as reported by European Pravda Details: Rutte noted that he would first hold a bilateral meeting with Zelenskyy in Brussels, after which other European leaders would join.
Advertisement:"Very much high on the agenda is to make sure that the president, his team in Ukraine are in the best possible position one day when they decide so to start the peace talks," he said.
The NATO secretary general stressed that Western powers should now do everything possible to provide Ukraine with the necessary weapons systems, especially air defence assets. "This will all be on the agenda, plus how to make sure that when peace comes one day, we also think about the economy of Ukraine, now but also after a future peace deal," Rutte added.
Advertisement:He cited Lithuania's initiative to purchase Ukrainian weapons as an example, noting that it should help strengthen Ukraine's defence sector and economy as a whole. Zelenskyy, for his part, said that the meetings in Brussels were "a very good opportunity to speak about security guarantees for Ukraine for today and for tomorrow".
He added that he would work in Brussels over the next two days to form a "joint position of Europe on how to secure Ukraine, how to strengthen us, our people, citizens, civilians and, of course, our army".
Background:
- Earlier reports indicated that on Wednesday, Zelenskyy would meet with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who also planned to bring together the leaders of several European nations for a separate discussion on the situation in Ukraine.
- Zelenskyy also confirmed his participation in a meeting of the European Council on Thursday, 19 December.
- Media reports suggest that the topics of these meetings may include a potential "ceasefire" in Ukraine and the deployment of European troops there.
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