NATO chief reaffirms support for Ukraine during visit to port city of Odesa

TribLIVE's Daily and Weekly email newsletters deliver the news you want and information you need, right to your inbox. ODESA, Ukraine — NATO's support for Ukraine remains "unwavering," the alliance's secretary-general said Tuesday, emphasizing that more than $22 billion in security assistance has already been pledged by NATO allies in the first three months of the year. Mark Rutte spoke on Tuesday in Ukraine's port city of Odesa, where he met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

His visit came days after two Russian ballistic missiles struck the city of Sumy on Palm Sunday morning, killing at least 35 people, including two children, and injuring 119. The attack on the northeastern city, about 20 miles from Ukraine's border with Russia, marked the second large-scale attack in just over a week to result in significant civilian casualties. Earlier this month, about 20 people were killed, including nine children, after a Russian ballistic missile struck Zelenskyy's hometown of Kryvyi Rih on April 4.



"I'm here today because I believe Ukraine's people deserve real peace, real safety and security in their country, in their homes," Rutte said during a joint news conference with Zelenskyy. The two met with wounded Ukrainian soldiers at a hospital in Odesa. This is Rutte's first trip to Ukraine since U.

S. President Donald Trump assumed the lead in ceasefire negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow, which have included several rounds of talks in Saudi Arabia. "These discussions are not easy, not least in the wake of this horrific violence,".

.. Associated Press.