NATO Chief 'Looks Forward To The Day' Ukraine Becomes Member, Vows Support

LONDON, Oct 18 (Bernama-Anadolu) -- The head of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) said Thursday that the alliance would continue to do everything to ensure Ukraine prevails until it becomes a member, Anadolu Agency (AA) reported.

"It is great to have you (Volodymyr Zelenskyy) here at NATO headquarters. I look forward to the day that Ukraine is here as a member of this Alliance. Until then, we will continue to do all we can to ensure Ukraine prevails," Mark Rutte said in a news conference alongside Zelenskyy.

Rutte noted that Thursday's Defence Ministerial meeting was the first where NATO had Australia, Japan, Korea, and New Zealand participating. He thanked the Indo-Pacific partners for their "outstanding support" for Ukraine, including Australia's announcement of the delivery of tanks to Ukraine.

"A clear sign of our deepening cooperation in the face of shared challenges. The war in Ukraine has shown that instability in Europe can have far-reaching consequences across the world," Rutte said.

He stressed that NATO is working with Ukraine to bring it "ever closer to the Alliance."

Zelenskyy said Ukrainians have shown they can defend shared values and stand against Russia.

Welcoming support from partners, he specifically thanked those helping to rebuild Ukrainian infrastructure after the Russian attacks, "especially now, before a difficult winter."

Asked about partners' will for Ukraine's “Victory plan,” the Ukrainian president said he believes in his nation.

"If we do not lose unity in Ukraine, we will prevail. Strengthening Ukraine does not only depend on weapons," he noted, adding that it also "depends on the will ... if our partners do not lose their unity, we will not lose."

-- BERNAMA-ANADOLU