The NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has revealed that Western security guarantees for Kyiv have two layers: a peaceful settlement with the strengthening of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, and guarantees from the US and Europe, which should deter the Kremlin from renewed aggression, Ukraine’s Presidential Office reports.

He also underlined that “the situation with the Budapest Memorandum will not be repeated.”

On 22 August, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte arrived in Kyiv on an unannounced visit and held talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

He said he is glad to be in Kyiv after an “important meeting in Washington.” Rutte emphasized that during the last 3.5 years of Russia’s war, Ukraine has remained strong, adding that “your NATO partners and friends remain with you” and that their support is unwavering and “will continue.”

NATO is investing in Ukraine’s defense industry and coordinating support

Rutte recalled that Alliance members are not only supplying weapons but also investing in Ukraine’s defense industry. This both strengthens security and supports the economy, UNIAN writes. 

“We are also cooperating through NSATU in Germany to ensure the Ukrainian army has everything it needs,” the NATO Secretary General noted.

NSATU is the NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine, a NATO command that coordinates the provision of military equipment and training for Kyiv.

PURL program has already raised $1.5 billion

During the meeting, Zelensky announced that the new PURL program, which allows the purchase of US weapons with partner funds, has already collected $1.5 billion from European countries.

“The most important things are diplomacy, security guarantees, and weapons for our warriors. And we already have $1.5 billion from European countries,” the Zelenskyy stressed.

Zelensky: Russia itself is the source of threat

The President stated that he does not understand what kind of security guarantees could be given to Russia, since Moscow itself started the war.

“I don’t quite understand what guarantees an aggressor needs. The only trigger of this war is Russia itself,” Zelensky emphasized.

He noted that Ukraine’s partners want to ensure that the war does not repeat, but Russia’s aggression is the main problem. As an example, the Ukrainian leader pointed to the situation with air support: the available F-16s cannot fully guarantee air security. This issue depends on production capacity and financing.

Rutte, for his part, reminded that US President Donald Trump in Washington set the priority of showing Putin that the US is part of the security guarantees. 

Earlier, Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine’s security guarantees are expected to be formalized on paper within the next 7–10 days. Speaking at a briefing in Washington, he said the document will include a US weapons package worth $90 billion.

At the same pace of weapons supply, this funding could last for 4.5 years of military support in the event of a new attack. The package may include aircraft, air defense systems, and other weaponry. He added that more details on the future agreements will emerge daily.