NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg paid his first visit to Kyiv since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion on Thursday, in a show of support for Ukraine as it prepares to launch a counter-offensive. Stoltenberg paid his respects to Ukrainian soldiers who have died fighting in the war and inspected damaged Russian military equipment on display in a central square in Kiev, according to a Reuters photographer.

The invasion of Russia, which began on February 24, 2022, has killed thousands of people, completely destroyed cities and devastated the Ukrainian economy. Since the conflict began, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization has supported Ukraine, with member states sending weapons but not combat troops.

Ukraine sees its future in the NATO alliance, announcing a fast-track offer for membership last September after the Kremlin said it had annexed four Ukrainian regions that its troops have partially occupied. Moscow views NATO as a hostile military alliance bent on encroaching on what it views as its sphere of influence.