We need to make sure Putin never tries to attack Ukraine again, NATO chief says

Published on 22/08/2025 - 16:56 GMT+2

NATO’s support for Ukraine remains “unwavering” and “continues to grow,” nan confederation Secretary General Mark Rutte said connected Friday during a sojourn to Kyiv. 

After nan gathering pinch Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Rutte said location are much plans to supply NATO backing to guarantee “a important travel of lethal US weapons to Ukraine.”

Following Monday's multilateral gathering astatine nan White House, Rutte said US President Donald Trump made it clear “the United States will so beryllium progressive successful providing information guarantees for Ukraine.”

"We are now moving together — Ukraine, nan Europeans, nan United States — to make judge that these information guarantees are of specified a level that Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin sitting successful Moscow will ne'er effort to onslaught Ukraine again," Rutte said astatine a property conference. 

Rutte said nan information guarantees statement will dwell of 2 layers: strengthening Ukraine’s service and commitments from nan US and Europe aimed astatine deterring Russia successful nan arena of early aggression.

According to Rutte, discussions astir deploying overseas troops to Ukraine arsenic portion of information guarantees are ongoing, but "it is excessively early to opportunity what will beryllium nan outcome."

"It’s still excessively early to opportunity who mightiness supply troops, who will lend intelligence, who will beryllium coming astatine sea, and who — successful nan air," Zelenskyy added.

"Ukraine needs information guarantees truthful that we, our children, and grandchildren tin beryllium definite that Russia will not onslaught us. These are guarantees of information against an aggressor" Ukraine’s president said. 

Zelenskyy-Putin meeting

After Donald Trump met Vladimir Putin successful Alaska and past Volodymyr Zelenskyy together pinch nan European leaders astatine nan White House 2 days later, he said that nan adjacent measurement successful nan accelerated moving negotiated process would beryllium a gathering betwixt nan presidents of Ukraine and Russia. 

Zelenskyy many times said that he is fresh to meet Putin, but nan Kremlin rejected this anticipation each time. 

The White House has been moving to unafraid a acme location and day nether nan inaugural of Donald Trump, but Moscow signalled connected Friday, that nan Kremlin is not expecting a gathering immoderate clip soon. 

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said nary gathering is planned betwixt Putin and Zelenskyy, contempt Trump’s efforts to agent specified talks.  

“Putin is fresh to meet pinch Zelenskyy erstwhile nan schedule is fresh for a summit, and this schedule is not fresh astatine all,” Lavrov told NBC News, repeating a long-standing Kremlin statement. 

Speaking astatine nan associated property convention pinch Mark Rutte successful Kyiv, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Moscow is doing everything to guarantee that a gathering betwixt nan leaders of Ukraine, nan US and Russia does not return place.

"The mobility of ending nan warfare must beryllium resolved astatine nan activity level, but we tin spot now that nan Russians are doing everything to forestall a meeting. Ukraine, dissimilar Russia, is not acrophobic of immoderate meetings pinch leaders. We are fresh to activity productively, to nan maximum,” Zelenskyy claimed, adding that he hopes that "partners will thief guarantee astatine slightest a minimal productive stance from nan Russian side."

He said that "everything must beryllium done truthful that Russia tin nary longer debar nan meeting."

“They must beryllium forced into diplomacy; genuinely beardown sanctions are needed if they (Russia) do not work together to a negotiated solution of this war, if they do not want to extremity nan war. We are counting heavy connected beardown (sanction) packages from our partners."