Kiev, 20 April 2023 (dpa/MIA) - NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg expressed his support on Thursday for Ukraine joining the military alliance in the future, as he visited Kiev for the first time since Russia invaded Ukraine in February last year.

"Ukraine’s rightful place is in the Euro-Atlantic family. Ukraine’s rightful place is in NATO," Stoltenberg said at a press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

"And over time, our support will help to make this possible," the top NATO official added.

In early April Stoltenberg announced a new support programme for Ukraine to pave its way to membership.

The initiative, which is expected to run for several years, is intended to make it easier for the country to adapt to the alliance's standards and to enable seamless cooperation with NATO.

On Thursday Stoltenberg called the programme "a testament to NATO’s long-term commitment to Ukraine."

There is however no time-frame for Ukraine's accession to the alliance.

Stoltenberg previously stressed that Ukraine would have to survive the war as a democratic, independent nation before it could become a member.

Following Stoltenberg's arrival in Kiev, Russia reaffirmed its wartime goal of preventing Ukraine from joining the military alliance.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday, as reported by the Interfax news agency, that Russia saw itself threatened by Ukraine's possible NATO membership "because otherwise this brings a serious, significant danger to our country, to its security."

During his visit to Ukraine Stoltenberg met for talks with Zelensky and his government, visited the city of Bucha, paid respect to the victims of the war and laid a wreath, a press release said.

Since the beginning of Russia's war, Stoltenberg has been considered a tireless supporter of Ukraine and has continuously argued for new arms deliveries to the Ukrainian armed forces.

"NATO stands with you today, tomorrow, and for as long as it takes," Stoltenberg said in Kiev.

"We do not know when this war will end, but we know that Russian aggression is a toxic pattern that must be stopped," he said.

"So we must continue strengthening Ukraine’s armed forces. And we must ensure that robust, powerful arrangements are in place for Ukraine’s security," he added.

Stoltenberg is due to attend a US-led meeting of countries supplying arms to Ukraine at Ramstein Air Base in Germany on Friday.

Thursday's visit was Stoltenberg's fourth trip to Ukraine since he became NATO Secretary General in 2014. He last visited Kiev in October 2019.

Stoltenberg previously invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to the upcoming NATO summit in Lithuania.

The summit in the Lithuanian capital will the held on July 11-12. It is still unclear whether Zelensky will attend the gathering.