NATO secretary general says support for Ukraine is necessary to prevent Putin from attacking NATO

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has called on Europe to continue supporting Ukraine, warning that failure to do so could leave the continent facing serious security challenges.

Source: Rutte in an interview with DPA, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Rutte said that in order to prevent Russian leader Vladimir Putin from attempting to attack a NATO member, Ukraine must remain strong.

He also stressed the need for NATO members to increase defence spending in line with commitments agreed at the alliance summit in The Hague in June.

Quote from Rutte: "If we do these two things, we will be strong enough to defend ourselves, and Putin will never attempt [to attack NATO – ed.]."

Details: He added that Europe's rearmament must happen quickly, noting that, according to various intelligence assessments, the security situation could deteriorate as early as 2027.

Rutte pointed to Russia's military spending as evidence of the threat Putin poses, saying Moscow now allocates over 40% of its state budget to defence.

He added that the war in Ukraine has shown Putin's willingness to accept heavy losses, referring to estimates that around 1.1 million Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded.

Background:

• Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides promised that his country will make support for Ukraine a priority of its presidency of the Council of the EU, which begins on 1 January.
• Earlier, Volodymyr Zelensky said that the US and some European countries did not support Ukraine's NATO membership as a security guarantee in negotiations around the American administration's peace plan.

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