Zelenskyy-Rutte talks focus on air defense boost and US weapons licenses
Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Mark Rutte (Photo: president.gov.ua)
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting in Brussels with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. The parties discussed strengthening Ukrainian air defense and other issues regarding the reinforcement of Ukraine, according to the head of state's Telegram.
According to Zelenskyy, the meeting with Rutte was good.
"We discussed the measures we agreed to implement with our partners during the G7 Summit. The key priority is working on strengthening our defense and obtaining licenses from the United States for the production of air defense equipment," the president said.
In addition, the parties discussed replenishing the PURL mechanism with new contributions. The head of state emphasised that this program greatly helps in protecting lives, so it is important that the supply of anti-ballistic missiles be as prompt as possible.
Zelenskyy also expressed gratitude to Rutte for the invitation to the NATO summit, which will take place next month.
"I thanked Mark for the invitation to the NATO Summit in Ankara. We will work to make it effective for Ukraine’s defense. Thank you, Mark, for your support," the Ukrainian leader concluded.
What else is known
On June 16, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy participated in the G7 meeting, which was also attended by US President Donald Trump.
Following this meeting, the G7 countries issued a joint statement stating that they had reached an agreement on several issues related to Ukraine.
In particular, the parties agreed to increase the supply of air defense systems, additional anti-aircraft systems, and interceptor missiles to Ukraine. The countries will also consider transferring licenses to Ukraine that would allow the production of foreign weapons at Ukrainian plants. In addition, the countries are committed to increasing economic pressure on Russia.
