"Only the Ukrainian government can decide whether to enter into negotiations with Russia and how to end this war. But they must do so from a position of strength," NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said at a press conference with Latvian President Edgars Rinkėvičs.

"That's why we need to continue providing military assistance to Ukraine, to enable them to be in a position of strength when they make such a decision," Ryute added.

According to the BBC, the Secretary General of the North Atlantic Alliance also commented on the prospect of Ukraine joining NATO. "This is a necessary path for Ukraine to join NATO. We are building a 'bridge' with the allocation of 40 billion euros, the creation of a command [center] in Wiesbaden, all the agreements that we have made with Ukraine on a bilateral level. All this is an investment in NATO in the future of Ukraine," said Ryute.