NATO chief Rutte visits Kyiv after massive Russian aerial assault

Tuesday 03 February 2026 - 11:50

By: Dakir Madiha

NATO chief Rutte visits Kyiv after massive Russian aerial assault

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte arrived in Kyiv on February 3, meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky just hours after Russia unleashed one of its largest aerial barrages in months. The assault involved 450 drones and over 60 missiles overnight, targeting energy infrastructure in what Kyiv called a deliberate strike amid freezing cold.

Rutte's visit includes an address to Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada parliament at a pivotal moment, with trilateral peace talks between Ukraine, Russia, and the United States set to resume in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.

The nighttime barrage ended an apparent fragile energy ceasefire announced last week but never formally established. Kyiv claimed it ran a week from January 30, while Moscow acknowledged only a pause until February 1, leaving terms disputed from the start.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha accused Russia of timing the strikes for colder weather, with temperatures due to plunge to minus 24 degrees Celsius. Ukraine's air force reported intercepting 450 of 521 incoming threats, but impacts hit 27 localities across eight regions, striking cogeneration plants heating residential areas in Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Dnipro.

Rutte's arrival underscores NATO's push to sustain support as talks intensify. A Financial Times correspondent noted on X that the NATO chief landed despite the overnight attacks. He plans to speak to lawmakers at the 15th parliamentary session's opening. NATO officials emphasized commitments to bolster Ukraine's air defenses, with Rutte recently urging European nations to transfer interceptor missiles from their stockpiles.

Sybiha posted on social media that neither upcoming diplomatic efforts nor Russian President Vladimir Putin's assurances to the United States halted the strikes. The attacks followed US President Donald Trump's recent statement that he personally asked Putin to spare Ukraine's capital during extreme cold. As new talks loom, Zelensky insists Russia show genuine peace commitment, while the Kremlin demands territorial concessions Ukraine has rejected.