“NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte considers the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi’s criticism of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to be unjustified.”, — write: www.ukrinform.ua
Rutte said this in an interview with the German mass media, the correspondent of Ukrinform reports with reference to ntv.
He reminded that Germany is the second country after the USA in terms of military support to Ukraine, and Rutte sees the chancellor’s merit in this and considers it “an achievement for which Kyiv can also be grateful.”
At the same time, he made it clear that, unlike Scholtz, he would transfer Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine and would not impose any restrictions on their use.
“In general, we know that such opportunities are very important for Ukraine,” said the ex-prime minister of the Netherlands, adding at the same time that it is not up to him to decide what the allies should supply.
According to Rutte, it is important for Germany to realize that its own values and collective security are at stake in its policy towards Ukraine.
“If Ukraine had lost, we would have had to spend much, much more on defense to counter the Russian threat,” he said.
According to Rutte, he makes the same argument in conversations with US President-elect Donald Trump.
“My argument for him, and in general, is that the conflict in Ukraine is becoming a problem for the United States,” Rutte said, pointing to Russia’s ties with North Korea, Iran and China.
The Secretary General of NATO is convinced that it is necessary to significantly arm Ukraine before possible negotiations.
“We must ensure that Ukraine, which is currently in a difficult situation, takes a strong position. That is why we urgently need to provide additional military support to Ukraine,” he emphasized.
Read also: NATO plans to increase the number of its specialists in Ukraine in 2025 Rutte noted that he currently sees no threat of a Russian attack on Alliance territory, but he is concerned about the future. “If we don’t increase defense spending, in four or five years we will have a serious problem. At the moment, we should not be afraid. But in the long term, I am worried,” he said.
The head of the Alliance declared the need to expand production at defense enterprises because, according to him, NATO members do not produce enough military equipment to defend themselves in the long term.
“We still have time to prepare and strengthen our deterrence to prevent war on NATO soil. But we must act now,” he said.
According to Rutte, he generally agrees with Trump’s demand for European allies to increase defense spending, which currently stands at 2 percent of GDP.
Read also: Scholz does not see the need to discuss the placement of peacekeepers in Ukraine now As Ukrinform reported, on November 15, Scholz called Putin for the first time in almost 2 years. This conversation caused criticism from the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi.
The Chancellor of Germany also opposes the transfer of long-range Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine.
Photo: AA