Mark Rutte, the head of NATO, met with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine and other European leaders at Mr. Rutte’s residence in Brussels on Wednesday to discuss the deteriorating situation in the war with Russia and how Europe can offer more support to Kyiv.
The meeting came at an uncertain moment for Ukraine as it faces U.S. President-elect Donald J. Trump’s push for an accelerated timetable for peace negotiations with Moscow. Mr. Zelensky is scheduled to address European Union leaders during a full summit meeting on Thursday.
Mr. Rutte has argued that any serious negotiations on a cease-fire or settlement would require convincing President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia that he has little further to gain in Ukraine. And that, Mr. Rutte has noted, requires stepped-up Western support for Kyiv.
“What we should focus on now is making sure that Ukraine gets to a position of strength,” Mr. Rutte said on Wednesday, suggesting it was premature to say whether European peacekeepers would be involved in any future deal. “If we now start to discuss amongst ourselves what a deal could look like, we make it so easy for the Russians.”
Mr. Rutte said his priority was improving Ukraine’s air defenses and delivering more weapons to Ukraine. “We have to do everything now to make sure that when it comes to air defense, when it comes to other weapon systems, that we make sure that we provide whatever we can,” Mr. Rutte said, adding that Mr. Zelensky’s request for 19 air defense systems to protect Ukraine’s critical infrastructure would be discussed.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of Italy and President Andrzej Duda of Poland were also expected to attend the Wednesday night meeting. They were all in town for a summit with leaders from the Western Balkans, as well as with David Lammy, the British foreign minister.
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