New NATO Secretary General arrives in Kyiv

The new NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte arrived in Kyiv on Thursday, 3 October.

As reported by the official NATO website, this is Rutte's first foreign visit in his new position.

The new NATO Secretary General has held talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, following which they held a press conference.

During his inaugural press conference as NATO Secretary General on 1 October, Mark Rutte refrained from speculating on when Ukraine might receive an invitation to join the alliance.

Rutte also said the decision to allow Ukraine to attack Russia with long-range Western-supplied weapons should be made by the Allies who transfer these weapons.

At the same time, he stressed that he understands Ukraine's request and supports the stance of his predecessor, Jens Stoltenberg, on this issue.