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Mark Rutte has urged NATO countries to step up military aid to Ukraine – in particular air defences – as Russia continues to pummel Kyiv with hundreds of drones and ballistic missiles every day.
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Over 600,000 people across Ukraine were left without electricity on Wednesday after deadly Russian strikes, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy said.
“With winter coming, and with Russia’s aggression unrelenting, Allies need to do more, especially in support of air defence,” Rutte told journalists in a press conference in Tallinn alongside Estonian Prime Minister, Kristan Michal.
The NATO chief is meeting the Ukrainian president in Brussels on Thursday, on the margins of an EU summit of European leaders, Euronews can confirm.
The two are gathering amid major tensions between the US and Ukraine over Kyiv’s targeting of Russian diesel infrastructure.
US President Trump threatened to cut off vital intelligence sharing on ballistic missile attacks with Kyiv over Ukraine’s continuing targeting of Russian diesel infrastructure. Gas and oil are Russia’s most important assets and provide the Kremlin with the capital to keep its war against Ukraine going.
‘Intelligence helps save lives’
And in recent days, Zelenskyy said his country was given no warning ahead of a mass of ballistic missiles which rained down across the capital.
“A Russian ballistic missile attack on Kyiv. Once again, no early warning from our partners,” Zelenskyy said on Tuesday.
“Our systems detected these missiles only when they were already virtually on approach to Kyiv,” he said on “X”.
“Intelligence on Russian ballistic missile launches helps save lives, and this is one of the most critical issues. This is precisely what helps prevent people from being killed — when there is an early warning about ballistic missiles,” said Zelenskyy.
Washington rolled back sanctions on Russian diesel and President Donald Trump confirmed the US could buy the stock in a bid to ease surging prices in the US.
Trump has demanded Zelenskyy halt the targeting of diesel plants saying it was this – rather than the US-Israel war in Iran – that is responsible for skyrocketing prices.
Rutte brushed off the question of the US withdrawing intelligence to Ukraine when asked by reporters. He pointed to a brief response from Trump on Tuesday where the president denied withholding the intel.
“I think the President was very clear yesterday when he had a short moment with the media leaving the White House for a campaign event, when he said intelligence sharing has not stopped,” he told reporters.
Both Rutte and the Estonian prime minister said the Kremlin was aiming to deter European allies from helping Ukraine.
“Russia wants us to focus on our own problems and grow weary of supporting Ukraine. We must not let that happen. Estonia will continue to provide military support to Ukraine,” said Michal.
