At a NATO meeting, Secretary General Mark Rutte welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and reaffirmed NATO’s strong support for Ukraine.
Rutte condemned recent Russian attacks on civilians as unacceptable and emphasised that the upcoming NATO summit declaration will include firm commitments—especially financial support—for Ukraine.
President Zelenskyy expressed gratitude for NATO's backing and highlighted the continued need for air defence systems, expanded military aid, and joint weapons production. He thanked Rutte and NATO allies for their steadfast friendship and support.
Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused NATO on Tuesday (June 24) of moving beyond its traditional area of responsibility in an attempt to gain a foothold in the Middle East, the South Caucasus, Central Asia, the Arctic and the Asia-Pacific region, Reuters reports.
Lavrov spoke at a diplomatic forum organised by Russian Foreign ministry in Moscow called "Primakov readings", names after former Russian Foreign minister and one time Russian Prime Minister Yevgeniy Primakov.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said last week that he was worried when asked if he was concerned that the world was heading towards World War Three.
Putin, speaking at an economic forum in St Petersburg, said there was a lot of potential for conflict in the world and that it was growing.
