NATO’s Secretary General Mark Rutte argued that Ukraine needs to be put in a “position of strength” instead of being pushed toward peace talks, while speaking at a Tuesday conference ahead of the

Volodymyr Zelensky said that his country needed security guarantees from Nato and more weapons to defend itself before any talks with Russia.

Mark Rutte said it was up to Ukraine to decide when it was ready to begin negotiations with Russia — and that the West should help strengthen Kyiv’s position beforehand.