Ukrainian president, NATO chief meet in Vilnius

KYIV - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday met with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on the sidelines of the Bucharest Nine and the Nordic Countries Summit in Vilnius, Lithuania.

In a post on Telegram, Zelensky said he had briefed Rutte on the outcome of the talks between Ukrainian and Russian delegations in Turkiye.

"I informed him about the agreements reached during today's talks in Istanbul regarding the exchange of prisoners and the return of children, as well as Russia's rejection of the simplest possible step -- an unconditional ceasefire," Zelensky said.

Zelensky and Rutte also discussed the next diplomatic steps and defense support for Ukraine.

Later in the day, Zelensky announced that Ukraine was invited to the NATO Summit scheduled to take place on June 24-25 in The Hague.