NATO chief promises 'unwavering' support to Ukraine in wake of 'horrific violence'
by Alice Padgett · LBCBy Alice Padgett
Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Mark Rutte, secretary general of NATO, amid escalating Russian attacks on Ukraine.
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The pair met on Tuesday in Odesa, Ukraine discuss NATO's support to Ukraine.
Mr Rutte assured the Ukrainian president that NATO's support will be "unwavering".
"NATO stands with Ukraine," Mr Rutte said.
"You and I know that this has been true all along.
"I also know that some have called NATO's support into question in the last couple of months.
"But let there be no doubt: Our support is unwavering."
This comes as after Russia's deadly attack on the Ukrainian city of Sumy on Sunday.
The attack saw two ballistic missiles strike residents gathered on the morning of Palm Sunday.
The secretary general told reporters that he and Zelenskyy discussed the talks that the Trump administration was having with Russia and Ukraine.
"Russia is the aggressor, Russia started this war. There's no doubt," Rutte said.
"These discussions are not easy – not least in the wake of this horrific violence – but we all support President Trump's push for peace."
Ukrainian emergency services said at least 34 people had been killed in Sunday's attack, including two children, while 117 had been injured.
President Zelenskyy said on social media that “only filthy scum can act like this – taking the lives of ordinary people”.
President Donald Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday April 13: “I think it was terrible. And I was told they made a mistake. But I think it’s a horrible thing. I think the whole war is a horrible thing.
"For that war to have started is an abuse of power. This country would never have allowed that war to have started if I were president.
"That war is a shame. Millions of people are dead that should be alive. Cities are being destroyed all over Ukraine, the whole culture is gone, well it's certainly very severely hurt.
"When pushed on what he meant by his comments, Mr Trump repeated "they made a mistake", adding: "You're gonna ask them."
Meanwhile, Russian court convicted four journalists of extremism for working for an anti-corruption group founded by the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny and sentenced them to five-and-a-half years in prison each.
Antonina Favorskaya, Kostantin Gabov, Sergey Karelin and Artyom Kriger were found guilty of involvement with a group that had been labelled as extremist.
All four maintained their innocence, arguing they were being prosecuted for doing their job as journalists.
The closed-door trial was part of an unrelenting crackdown on dissent that has reached an unprecedented scale after Moscow sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022.
The authorities have targeted opposition figures, independent journalists, rights activists and ordinary Russians critical of the Kremlin with prosecution, jailing hundreds and prompting thousands to flee the country to avoid prosecution.
The four journalists were accused of working with Mr Navalny's Foundation for Fighting Corruption, which was designated as extremist and outlawed in 2021 in a move widely seen as politically motivated.
Mr Navalny was President Vladimir Putin's fiercest and most prominent foe and relentlessly campaigned against official corruption in Russia.
Mr Navalny died in February 2024 in an Arctic penal colony while serving a 19-year sentence on a number of charges, including running an extremist group, which he had rejected as politically driven.