New NATO chief reaffirms support for Ukraine
(VOVWORLD) - The new NATO Secretary-General said on Thursday that Ukraine has NATO’s support to join the alliance. “Ukraine is closer to NATO than ever before, and will continue on this path until you become a member of our Alliance,” Mark Rutte said during a visit to Ukraine, his first official trip since taking office.
 New Secretary-General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Mark Rutte. Photo: AFP/VNA
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In Kyiv, Rutte and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy discussed a plan to end the conflict in Ukraine. The NATO chief said the alliance will prioritize defense industry production.
At a press briefing on Thursday, Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said that Western military destroying Russian projectiles over Ukraine would be an involvement of the United States in the conflict. “Right now, we feel that Ukraine has been able to successfully defend against Russian strikes. We're going to continue to make sure they have the support they need to do that," she said.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Defence Ministry on Thursday confirmed reports that its forces have taken control of Ugledar, a city in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic. "As a result of decisive actions by units of the battlegroup East, the settlement of Ugledar in the Donetsk People's Republic has been liberated," the ministry said in a statement.
Last month, Russia's battlegroup Center took control of the Ukrainsk settlement in the Donetsk People's Republic, the Russian Defense Ministry said. Russian forces have also captured 12 villages and advanced in the direction of Krasnoarmeysk.