NATO secretary general considers Putin main obstacle to peace

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has said he considers Russian leader Vladimir Putin the main reason why the Russo-Ukrainian war has continued to this day.

Source: Bild, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Journalists asked the secretary general why it is so difficult to end the war in Ukraine, despite the high hopes for peace at the beginning of the year.

"The reason is Putin," the NATO secretary general replied.

He added that the Russian leader is prepared to sacrifice 1.1 million of his own people while not achieving significant military victories.

"This year he [Putin] has achieved only very limited progress – minimal territorial gains, less than 1% of Ukrainian territory compared with the beginning of the year. And according to our estimates, up to 1.1 million people on the Russian side have been killed or wounded. This is horrific. But this is the situation we are dealing with," Rutte said.

He added that US President Donald Trump, who took office in January and whose arrival was associated with high hopes for ending the war, "is absolutely committed to this issue".

"He is focused on ending this war. He is the only one who has been able to bring Putin to the negotiating table – and the only one who can ultimately force him to make peace. I respect him greatly for this," Rutte said.

The NATO secretary general also believes that young people in Europe will take up arms if "things get serious".

Background: On 11 December, Mark Rutte warned NATO member states that they are Russia's next target and called for immediate action.

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