At NATO, Zelensky denounces Putin, Hamas as terrorists
During his visit, states Ukraine is an ally of Israel
BRUSSELS — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made a surprise appearance at NATO headquarters on Wednesday, claiming the world stage at a moment when a new war is dominating headlines and comparing Russian President Vladimir Putin to Hamas terrorists. “Terrorists like Putin — or like Hamas — seek to hold free and democratic nations as hostages, and they want power over those who seek freedom,” Zelensky said. “The terrorists will not change. They just must lose — and that means we must win.”
Though he has addressed the alliance remotely from Kyiv before, it was his first visit to NATO’s steel-and-glass headquarters since the invasion, and it came a day after he acknowledged in an interview that the new war in Israel could distract global attention from Russia’s war against Ukraine. While foreign military support continues to flow, Ukrainian officials and NATO allies have raised concern about Republican lawmakers in Washington seeking to stifle additional aid packages.
In Brussels, Zelensky positioned himself less as a competitor for attention and resources than as an empathetic ally of Israel. Though last year he blasted Israel for declining to send weapons to Ukraine, called for the support of the Israeli people — again likening their situation to his own.
“It was very important not to be alone. Very important,” Zelensky said, recalling the early days of Russia’s invasion. He added that the allies need to prevent the possibility of “aggressors even to think about that third world war” and initiating a new wave of aggression.
Some leaders of NATO countries have bristled at Zelensky’s public complaints about the slow pace of his country’s admission into the alliance, or about delays in the delivery of much-needed weapons like fighter jets. His supportive posture toward Israel appeared to be an effort to calibrate his message for a new global security context and to capitalize on Israel’s dismay over Russia’s stronger ties with Iran, a major sponsor of Hamas and now a crucial supplier of drones and other weapons to Moscow.
Zelensky joined a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, a gathering of dozens of nations organized by US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. His arrival drew a crowd of alliance officials as he greeted NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg with a hug and took questions from reporters.
Stoltenberg drew no distinction between NATO’s priorities and Ukraine’s in countering Russia.
“Your fight is our fight. Your security is our security. And your values are our values,” he said. “We will stand by Ukraine for as long as it takes.”
Austin said that as winter arrives, the allies must rush to meet Ukraine’s most urgent needs, while also considering what it needs long-term. He announced another $200 million in US assistance, including airdefense missiles, artillery rounds, antitank missiles, and equipment to clear mines.
“We should be ready for the Kremlin to again bombard Ukraine this winter with cruise missiles and drones,” Austin said. “And we should expect Putin’s forces to cruelly and deliberately put Ukraine’s cities, civilians, and critical infrastructure in their net.”