NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said during a surprise visit to Kyiv on Tuesday, Feb. 3, that Russia’s overnight strikes showed Moscow was not genuinely committed to peace, even as the White House presses for negotiations to end the war.
Speaking to Ukraine’s parliament, Rutte acknowledged that direct talks were underway and represented progress, but stressed that renewed Russian attacks undermined any claim of serious intent.
The assault, described by Ukrainian officials as the strongest this year against energy infrastructure, left hundreds of thousands without heat just ahead of another round of discussions in Abu Dhabi.
Rutte urged NATO allies to draw from their stockpiles to supply Ukraine with more air defence systems and emphasised that alliance support for Kyiv remained firm despite tensions with Washington over the Trump administration’s stance on Greenland. He said European NATO members were ready to offer robust security guarantees and even deploy forces to ensure any future ceasefire would hold, noting that reaching an agreement would involve difficult choices.
Rutte added that Ukraine needed absolute confidence that the sacrifices made and losses endured would not be repeated, after he and President Volodymyr Zelensky honored fallen soldiers at a Kyiv memorial.
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