President Volodymyr Zelensky said NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte visited Ukraine on Friday, Aug. 22, where they discussed security guarantees, weapons supplies, and future joint steps to strengthen Europe’s security.
“Today, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is in Ukraine, and during our meeting we talked primarily about what our next joint steps can give Ukraine and all of Europe more security and bring the real end of the war closer,” Zelensky wrote on Telegram.
He emphasized the importance of diplomacy, security guarantees, and weapons for Ukraine’s defenders, noting that the Priority Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) initiative is already functioning, allowing Ukraine to purchase US weapons with partners’ funds.
According to Zelensky, $1.5 billion from European countries has already been allocated.
“We greatly appreciate the support of the NATO Secretary General. Thank you for your willingness to help,” he added.
During Rutte’s visit, an air raid siren sounded in Kyiv at 3:28 p.m., with the city’s military administration warning: “Threat of the use of ballistic weapons. Do not ignore air raid sirens. Go to shelter!”
However, at 3:46 p.m., an air raid warning was cancelled.
During a joint press conference with Rutte, Zelensky said that Russia was doing everything possible to prevent his meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
“It is at the level of leaders that the issue of ending the war should be resolved. But we see now that the Russians are doing everything to prevent the meeting,” Zelensky said.
He added that, unlike Russia, Ukraine is not afraid of any meetings with world leaders.
“We are ready to work productively, to the maximum. We hope that partners will help ensure at least a minimally productive position from the Russian side,” Zelensky said.
According to him, it is necessary to force Russia to engage in diplomacy.
“We need really strong sanctions if they don’t agree to a diplomatic solution to this war, if they don’t want to end the war. We are very much counting on strong packages from partners,” Zelensky said.
Meanwhile, on Friday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Ukraine and Russia are not yet close to holding a summit at the highest level.
According to Lavrov, a meeting between Putin and Zelensky is not planned, but the Russian president is allegedly ready to meet when there is a defined agenda.
“There is none yet,” Lavrov stressed.
He also said that Russia had agreed to demonstrate flexibility on a number of issues raised in Alaska by US President Donald Trump.
Also during the press conference with Rutte, Zelensky spoke about Turkey’s readiness to participate in Ukraine’s security guarantees.
“Turkey has stated that it wants to be part of Ukraine’s security guarantees, being responsible for maritime security,” he said.
Zelensky also described the delivery of F-16 aircraft and the establishment of security guarantees for Ukraine as a complex process involving political agreements, production capacities of partners, and financing.
“This is the beginning of a big job. It is very difficult, because the guarantees depend both on what partners can provide to Ukraine, and on what kind of army Ukraine itself can build to maintain its strength,” Zelensky said.
On the issue of F-16 aircraft, he emphasized that Ukrainians are grateful for all the coordination among partners and for the fact that Ukraine now has the beginning of an air fleet.
“We do not yet have all the aircraft that we need. But we know that these aircraft… well, they will not be enough to guarantee us safety in the sky. There is a number that we need, but I am not ready to talk about it yet,” he added.
The president also stressed that it is necessary for everyone to stand on the same side and for partners to share responsibility in providing assistance.
“They share, in principle, the understanding of what we need – what kind of air fleet we need. All this requires, in addition to political will, which is number one, the manufacturer’s capacity, which is number two. Because you want to get real help, not in 20 years. This means someone has to give up their place in the production line, someone has to hand over newer aircraft,” Zelensky said.
He added that finding financing for the necessary equipment is also a challenge.
“Who will finance it, this is also a very complicated process. And so when we talk about security guarantees, everything is not easy, because of such details,” he added.
Zelensky said that the US is ready to be part of Ukraine’s security guarantees.
“We have reached an important understanding with the US together with all our partners. The US is ready to be part of the security guarantees for Ukraine. And this is the first time we have achieved such readiness,” he said.
According to Zelensky, negotiations on the specific content of these guarantees are being conducted daily at multiple levels — among security advisors, the military, and diplomats.
Rutte told reporters that Ukraine, the US, and European Union countries are working on guarantees strong enough to deter Russia.
He revealed that there is an agreement on two layers of guarantees.
“The first layer will be the establishment of some kind of peace agreement or ceasefire, or a combination of both,” he said.
Rutte added that the first layer involves strengthening Ukraine’s forces as much as possible.
“So that they can withstand any difficulties. And the second layer is what the United States and Europe will provide. That’s what we’re actually working on,” he added.
Rutte also recalled that previous efforts such as the Budapest Memorandum and the Minsk talks, failed to deliver real guarantees.
“Our new guarantees should not be like that. We are working together – Ukraine, Europe, and the United States – to have such guarantees, of such a level that Vladimir Putin, sitting in Moscow, would never even think of attacking Ukraine again,” he said.
According to Rutte, Trump in Washington has made it a priority to demonstrate to Putin that the United States is part of the security guarantees.
He added that discussions are ongoing about the possible presence of foreign troops in Ukraine as part of these guarantees, but it is too early to talk about the outcome.
This news story will be updated as more information becomes available.