NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte arrived in the capital of Ukraine on June 3. The visit was announced by Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga, who published a joint photo with Rutte at the Kyiv railway station.
This is reported by Kyiv24
“We are pleased to welcome Mark Rutte to Kyiv, where he will hold talks with the president and have important meetings. We deeply appreciate the unity and strength of NATO in supporting Ukraine as we collectively defend transatlantic security.”
On the morning of June 3, the information about Mark Rutte’s arrival was also released by Ukrzaliznytsia, but this message was later deleted from its Telegram channel.
Visit amid escalating security situation
The arrival of the NATO Secretary General in Kyiv was not announced in advance. The visit comes at a time when Russia is intensifying missile strikes on Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv, and threatens new systematic attacks. This situation creates additional tension for security in the region and underscores the importance of support for Ukraine from international partners.
Amid the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East, trilateral negotiations between Ukraine, the USA, and Russia, which took place in January and February, have been suspended indefinitely. According to sources, both in Kyiv and Moscow, it is believed that the resumption of negotiations mediated by the USA is unlikely even after the end of the war in the Middle East.
Negotiation process and positions of the parties
Sources speaking to the Financial Times note that neither side currently sees prospects for continuing negotiations. The Ukrainian side believes that dialogue with Russia reached a deadlock back in February after the last round of talks and expresses frustration that Washington has been unable to influence the position of the Russian president.
The Russian authorities officially insist on transferring all of Donbas under their control as a key condition for a peaceful settlement and claim that such an agreement was allegedly given during the meeting between the US president and Putin in Anchorage last year. Ukraine, after the USA became a mediator, proposed to cease hostilities along the front line, resulting in most of Donbas, but not the entire region, remaining under Russian control. At the same time, Ukraine does not plan to legally recognize such conditions.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on May 22 that Washington is ready to continue mediation efforts between Russia and Ukraine, although negotiations are not currently taking place. He also emphasized that previous rounds of dialogue have not yielded results.
In an interview with an American television channel, President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that a way to negotiate with Russia must be found before the onset of winter, but this depends on the level of international pressure on Moscow.
On May 21, the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported that Ukrainian forces are regaining tactical initiative in various directions along the front. Analysts estimate that Russia’s warnings about systematic strikes on Ukraine are an attempt to conceal its own weakness, especially after the Victory Day parade on May 9.