NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte visited Kyiv on 3 February and addressed Ukraine’s parliament, reaffirming continued defense support from NATO countries and partners, according to Suspilne. His speech emphasized both immediate assistance to Ukraine’s Armed Forces and long-term security guarantees after the war ends.
Support for Ukraine remains NATO's central focus
Mark Rutte acknowledged that Russia is escalating its efforts to destroy Ukraine but insisted that supporting the Armed Forces of Ukraine was and remains the alliance's priority. He outlined the ongoing cooperation: daily dialogue between Ukraine and NATO, continuous deliveries of equipment and weapons, and military training coordinated through NATO's command in Germany.
The NATO chief also highlighted the PURL mechanism, through which allies have channeled millions of euros to buy American weapons for Ukraine. By summer 2025, he said, the initiative had delivered 75% of the missiles Ukraine received—almost all of them for air defense systems.
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Coalition forces to deploy after peace deal
The Secretary General stated that Europe, the US, and Canada will provide security guarantees for Ukraine after Russia's war ends, with a coalition of the willing making progress on its framework.
"As soon as a peace agreement is reached, armed forces [of Coalition members] will appear immediately, aircraft in the air and ships at sea. Other NATO members will help in other ways," Rutte told parliament.
He emphasized that NATO seeks a "lasting peace" for Ukraine. After the war ends, Ukrainians must be confident that aggression will not repeat, that peace will endure, and that all signatories will honor their commitments.
Rutte drew a direct line between the overnight attack and Moscow's diplomatic posture. He said the attack demonstrates that Russia is not serious about achieving peace, while China, Iran, and North Korea continue their support for Moscow.
No repeat of Budapest or Minsk
The NATO chief rejected the failed security frameworks of the past.
"We do not want another Budapest Memorandum or Minsk agreements," he declared.
Rutte recalled his previous visit in August, when he pledged NATO would continue supporting Ukraine. He closed with a message of endurance:
"Winter is very long, but spring will come."
Ukrainian MPs react: praise and skepticism
The public broadcaster Suspilne reported that lawmakers offered mixed responses to the speech. Andrii Osadchuk, an MP from the Holos party, noted that Rutte never mentioned Ukraine's NATO membership—he "didn't even remotely hint" at it, the parliamentarian observed. Still, Osadchuk called the address "very good."
Iryna Herashchenko, an MP from European Solidarity, welcomed the promises about coalition forces as "wonderful news." But she urged realism.
"Ukrainians now perceive everything realistically—first we need to survive until peace," she wrote on Facebook.
She called on NATO countries to stand alongside Ukraine today, not after a peace agreement.
"Otherwise, they will become Putin's next victims," she warned.
