Zelensky: Front lines must be strengthened, NATO understands Ukraine’s needs

The president stated this during a video address to the nation on Thursday, reports Ukrinform.

"Today, the new NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte, paid his first visit to Kyiv, and this is a significant visit to Ukraine he made immediately after assuming the powers of the Alliance's Secretary General. And the key now is to actually back up this priority with decisions. It’s clear how important it is to fully implement every agreement we’ve made with our partners on defense support. Timeliness in support means resilience on the frontline. The frontline must be strengthened, and long-range capabilities must finally be provided in the way necessary to end this war," said Zelensky.

“Everyone in the Alliance understands the needs,” the president stressed.

He added that air defense is no less important for Ukraine, as well as "real progress in the joint interception of Russian missiles and drones."

"We see that one of the main reasons for the security deficit in the skies of Ukraine, and in particular near the borders of NATO, our neighbors, is the lack of decisions on joint operations and joint defense. What works in the skies of the Middle East and helps Israel's defense can work just as well in the skies of our part of Europe – in Ukraine – helping to save lives. There are specific technical solutions and fully effective tactics for this,” Zelensky argued.

The head of state emphasized that Ukraine would continue convincing its partners of what needs to be implemented for effective air defense.

Zelensky added that "the invitation for Ukraine to join NATO and the progress toward membership is a constant topic on the table in our discussions with partners".

According to him, today the details of Ukraine’s future membership were discussed with Rutte. The president noted that only with Ukraine’s full integration and clear position in the Euro-Atlantic space "can we effectrively eliminate Russia’s old, criminal temptation to disrupt the European way of life."

"Geopolitical certainty for Ukraine and for the whole of Europe is of the utmost value. This is the solid foundation of peace – when there is no insufficiently secure place in Europe's security architecture," he said.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, today, October 3, the new NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte, arrived in Kyiv. This is Mark Rutte's first foreign visit in his new capacity.

During the joint press conference with Rutte, President Zelensky announced that the states neighboring Ukraine are not yet ready to shoot down Russian drones and missiles flying in their direction.