War in Ukraine: six dead in Kherson, NATO membership, Mark Rutte taking office… an update on the situation

Every day, Midi Libre takes stock of the situation in Ukraine. This Tuesday, October 1, 2024, discover the latest news about this conflict.

Six dead in Russian fire on Kherson

Six people were killed and six others injured Tuesday morning by Russian artillery fire on the city of Kherson, in southern Ukraine, regional authorities report.

The shooting hit a market and a bus stop in the center, regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin and local prosecutors said.

Zelensky wants to work "effectively" with Rutte to bring Kiev closer to NATO membership

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday he wanted to work "effectively" with the Dutch Mark Rutte, the new NATO Secretary General, to bring kyiv closer to membership in the Alliance.

“I look forward to working effectively to strengthen Euro-Atlantic security and our partnership with the Alliance, as Ukraine continues its path towards full NATO membership,”, Zelensky said on X.“Only together, with Ukraine and its allies, can we truly ensure a Europe at peace”, he added.

Rutte's message to Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin “must realise” that NATO will not “give way” in its support for Ukraine, the new head of the Atlantic alliance Mark Rutte stressed on Tuesday.

“We must focus on the war effort”. “The more we help Ukraine, the sooner” the war “will end”, he said.

Starmer congratulates Rutte, reiterates need for “strong support” for Ukraine

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Tuesday congratulated the new head of NATO, the Dutch Mark Rutte, on his inauguration, reiterating the need for the alliance to maintain its “strong support” for Ukraine.

“I look forward to working together as NATO defends our freedom, including through our strong support for Ukraine” in the face of the Russian invasion, the British head of government reacted on X, thanking the previous secretary general of the alliance, Jens Stoltenberg on leaving “NATO bigger, stronger and more united than ever”.

Mark Rutte takes over as NATO leader amid war of attrition in Ukraine and uncertainty in the US

Mark Rutte, a former Dutch prime minister, took office Tuesday as NATO secretary general with the main task of keeping the transatlantic alliance together as the war in Ukraine reaches a crucial stage and a decisive US presidential election looms.

At a ceremony at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Rutte took over from Norway's Jens Stoltenberg, who oversaw the organisation during a decade marked mainly by Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Rutte is expected by NATO officials and diplomats to follow in his predecessor's footsteps, setting the same priorities: rallying support behind Ukraine, pushing the 32 member countries to allocate more defence funding and keeping the United States involved in European security.

But uncertainty reigns, both over the conflict in Ukraine, which has become a war of attrition, and on the support that Washington will continue to give to NATO and Kyiv after the US presidential election in November, which pits Vice President Kamala Harris against former President Donald Trump, who has little appreciation for the transatlantic alliance. Mark Rutte, who resigned this year as prime minister of the Netherlands after a record 14 years in power, has always been a staunch supporter of Ukraine.

He also urged European leaders to “stop whining” about Donald Trump and agree to strengthen the continent's defenses. With the war in Ukraine, NATO, founded in 1949 to deter the Soviet Union from attacking Western Europe and, if necessary, to defend the bloc, has regained a central role in international affairs.

“We have to make sure that Ukraine prevails as a sovereign, independent and democratic nation,”, the former Dutch prime minister told Reuters reporters at NATO headquarters in Brussels.

He also downplayed the transatlantic alliance concern about upcoming US elections, with its most powerful member declaring: “I'm not worried. I know both candidates very well.” “I worked for years with Donald Trump. He was the one who encouraged us to spend more (on defense), and he succeeded, because now we spend much more than when he came to power,”, Mark Rutte added.

“Kamala Harris had a fantastic career as vice president. “She's very well respected, so I'll be able to work with both of them,” he said.