At a media appearance with new Nato secretary general, Mark Rutte, Volodymyr Zelenskyy blasted western delays in supplying weapons. What we know on day 954

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Nato’s chief Mark Rutte has told Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy that his goal as head of the military alliance is to ensure that “Ukraine prevails”. In a major show of support for Kyiv, Rutte went to the Ukrainian capital for his maiden trip as secretary general of the alliance. Rutte said he chose Kyiv as his first trip “to make crystal clear to you, to the people of Ukraine and to everyone watching, that Nato stands with Ukraine”.

In a joint media appearance with Rutte, Zelenskyy blasted western delays over supplying long-range weapons. “We need sufficient quantity and quality of weapons, including long-range weapons, that, in my opinion, our partners are already dragging out,” Zelenskyy said. The Ukrainian leader also called on Nato members to take a more active role in helping his country to fend off Russian aerial attacks. “We will continue to convince our partners of the need to shoot down Russian missiles and drones,” Zelenskyy said, adding “what works in the skies of the Middle East and helps Israel defend itself can also work in the skies of our part of Europe.”

Asked to respond on Zelenskyy’s comments, deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh said, “we have a limited supply of long-range missiles” and “we’re not dragging it out”.

Ukraine has opened its first recruitment office in Poland aiming to enlist citizens for its fight against Russia’s invasion. The move comes as Kyiv is scrambling to bolster its ranks to stave off Moscow’s invasion. Ukraine announced its plans to recruit a “Ukrainian Legion” in July, hoping to convince thousands of men who have fled the country to avoid the war to enlist. The government estimates that about 300,000 people of combat age are living in Poland.

Thousands of people in Berlin demonstrated against Germany’s military support for Ukraine during a rally organised by a radical leftwing collective. Participants gathered in the German capital and brandished placards reading “Negotiations! No weapons!”, “No to war” and “Pacifism is not naive”. Some also held anti-American signs. One of their main demands was for Germany to stop sending weapons to Ukraine. Far-left populist leader Sahra Wagenknecht, who attended the Berlin protest, has long called for an end to weapon deliveries to Kyiv and opposes a plan to deploy US long-range missiles in Germany. Germany has been the second-largest contributor of military aid to Ukraine after the United States, but plans to halve its budget for that aid next year.

Ukraine has said a Russian drone attack killed three people, including a young child, in its northern Chernigiv border region. Russian drones hit a gas truck that was making deliveries to households in a border village, Ukraine’s national police force said on Telegram. “The truck exploded and residential buildings caught fire.” Three people were killed in the blast, including a child born in 2018, the police said. Four others were hospitalised, including two children, aged four and 13.

Russia’s defence ministry confirmed reports that its forces had taken control of the eastern Ukrainian town of Vuhledar, crediting what it called decisive action taken by units in its “East” military grouping. The town, which Russia calls Ugledar, had resisted Russian assaults for more than two years.

Croatia will host a Balkans leaders summit on Ukraine next week that will also be attended by Zelenskyy, Croatia’s prime minister said on Thursday. The aim of the meeting, to be held in the southern Adriatic resort of Dubrovnik, is that the “whole region supports Ukraine and the Ukrainian people in the fight for freedom”, Andrej Plenkovic said during a regular government session. The meeting will take place on Wednesday, a government statement said.