NATO Military Committee visits Kyiv for first time in eight years
A NATO Military Committee delegation of military representatives from all 32 member states, led by Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, visited Kyiv on 6 October — the first such visit in eight years — and met with Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Mykhailo Drapatyi. Discussions covered Ukraine's military priorities and lessons learned for Allied preparedness, and the delegation paid tribute at the Wall of Remembrance of the Fallen for Ukraine.
Key points
- Visit took place on 6 October, the first NATO Military Committee visit to Kyiv in eight years.
- Delegation included military representatives from all 32 NATO member states.
- Led by Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, Chairman of the NATO Military Committee.
- Met with Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Mykhailo Drapatyi.
- Head of Ukraine's Mission to NATO Alona Hetmanchuk said a NATO–Ukraine Council meeting at the Military Committee level was held in Ukraine for the first time in history, chaired by Drapatyi and Dragone.
- Delegation paid tribute at the Wall of Remembrance of the Fallen for Ukraine in Kyiv.
- Dragone said the visit followed the North Atlantic Council's visit to Kyiv in June, and that NATO's support for Ukraine continues to grow and allied unity is stronger than ever.
Why it matters
The visit marks the first NATO Military Committee trip to Kyiv in eight years and brings together military representatives from all 32 member states, signalling a high-level reset in NATO–Ukraine military engagement. Coming on the heels of the North Atlantic Council's June visit to Kyiv, it points to a sustained sequence of top-tier NATO engagements in the Ukrainian capital. Dragone's public messaging — that allied support is growing, unity is stronger than ever, and Russia bears full responsibility for sabotage, cyberattacks and airspace violations — frames the trip as both a show of solidarity and a warning to Moscow.
What happened
A NATO Military Committee delegation of military representatives from all 32 member states travelled to Kyiv on 6 October, the first such visit in eight years. The delegation was led by Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, and met with Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Mykhailo Drapatyi. Head of Ukraine's Mission to NATO Alona Hetmanchuk said a NATO–Ukraine Council meeting at the Military Committee level was held in Ukraine for the first time in history, chaired by Drapatyi and Dragone, and that the delegation had returned to Brussels afterwards. The delegation paid its respects at the Wall of Remembrance of the Fallen for Ukraine in Kyiv. Dragone said the visit fulfilled a promise he had made to Drapatyi during a conversation in August and followed the North Atlantic Council's visit to Kyiv in June. Discussions with Drapatyi focused on Ukraine's military priorities and lessons learned to strengthen Allied preparedness for current and future threats. Dragone added that the link between NATO and Ukraine is becoming stronger, that allied support continues to grow, and that Russia bears full responsibility for hybrid actions against NATO countries, including sabotage, cyberattacks and airspace violations.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
All supplied sources for this story are Ukrainian domestic outlets (UA, Ukrainian-language), so the available framing is uniformly Ukrainian. The coverage frames the visit as a landmark moment: the first NATO Military Committee trip to Kyiv in eight years, and the first-ever NATO–Ukraine Council meeting at the Military Committee level on Ukrainian soil, chaired jointly by Drapatyi and Dragone. Ukrainian sources emphasise allied unity across all 32 member states, the tribute paid at the Wall of Remembrance of the Fallen for Ukraine, and Dragone's statements that NATO's support for Ukraine continues to grow and that Russia bears full responsibility for sabotage, cyberattacks and airspace violations.
Where reporting differs
One early fact cluster names Admiral Rob Bauer as the Chairman who made the announcement from Kyiv, while the bulk of the confirmed facts identify Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone as the Chairman who led the delegation and made the announcement. The synthesis treats Cavo Dragone as the correct attribution, and this story follows that.
Background
The Military Committee visit came after the North Atlantic Council travelled to Kyiv in June, when a first-ever NATO–Ukraine Council meeting with representatives of all 32 member states was held. According to Hetmanchuk, the Kyiv visit produced the first NATO–Ukraine Council meeting at the Military Committee level ever held in Ukraine, co-chaired by Drapatyi and Dragone. Separately, NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe Alexus Grinkevich is reported to be developing a strategy for rapid victory in the event of a Russian attack on the Alliance's eastern flank, with emphasis on integrating new defence technologies such as drones and artificial intelligence. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has also said allies must be ready for further hostile actions by Russia against the Alliance and that the response must be increased support for Ukraine.