Air raid sirens echoed across Kyiv on Friday afternoon as NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte visited the Ukrainian capital, according to reports from AFP journalists on the ground.
Authorities in Kyiv urged residents to seek shelter, warning of a potential Russian attack involving ballistic missiles.
The alarm was raised shortly after Rutte held a press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
During the press conference, Rutte called on Western allies to provide Ukraine with "solid security guarantees" to deter future Russian aggression following any potential peace agreement with Kyiv.
"Solid security guarantees will be essential, and that is what we are currently working to establish," Rutte said.
These measures, he emphasised, aim to ensure that Russia "never again attempts to seize even a single square kilometre of Ukrainian territory."
