NATO Secretary General Addresses Russians in Kyiv

During a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte addressed the citizens of the aggressor country directly. The Alliance’s leader starkly described the reality awaiting Russian soldiers on the front lines and assessed the current state of the Russian economy. 

In his remarks, Mark Rutte specifically focused on the fate of young Russians whom the Kremlin regime is sending to war. He emphasized that the Russian military command has staged a bloody “rodeo” for its own people, equipping soldiers with inadequate gear and outdated ammunition.

According to the Secretary General, the chances of being killed or seriously wounded are extremely high, and the command often simply leaves wounded occupiers to die in the mud. Rutte urged Russian families to realize that tens of thousands of casualties are not abstract statistics, and that every conscript risks becoming part of this chronicle of losses.

Separately, the NATO chief addressed the economic front and the prospects of forcing the aggressor to make peace. He noted that the Russian economic system is currently under enormous pressure and the Kremlin is no longer able to fully compensate for all the financial and material costs required by a protracted war. Rutte called the creation of conditions that would force Russia to the negotiating table a common task for the civilized world.

At the same time, the Secretary General noted with regret that there are currently no real signs of Moscow’s willingness to halt hostilities—civilians continue to die and cities continue to be destroyed in Ukraine. Mark Rutte strongly condemned Russia’s chronic unwillingness to achieve a just peace and assured that all 32 NATO member states would steadfastly continue to provide Ukraine with comprehensive support.

This was reported in the broadcast of the event, which took place on June 3, 2026.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte arrived in Kyiv on an official visit to discuss further support for Ukraine.