NATO Secretary General Rutte: Ukraine cannot do it without aid

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte commented on the reactions to the decision to increase the defense spending target at the NATO Summit held in The Hague, Netherlands, and the latest developments regarding Ukraine. Speaking to the American television network Fox News, Rutte addressed the statement by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov that "NATO's increase of the 2 percent defense spending target to 5 percent of gross domestic product would lead to collapses."

Stating that the acceptance of the 5 percent target by allies is a major success for US President Donald Trump and his foreign policy team, Rutte said, "Europeans have finally committed to paying the same amount of money as the US pays.

This is a debate that has been ongoing since the Eisenhower era. Meanwhile, we know that we must pay the price to further strengthen NATO because the Russian threat is clear. As for Lavrov, he has been Russia's foreign minister since the birth of Christ, and I have never heard anything useful come out of his mouth," he said.

"UKRAINE CANNOT DO IT WITHOUT US AID"

Touching upon the US decision to halt the shipment of some weapons pledged to Ukraine, Rutte said, "I understand that the US must always ensure its own interests, but Ukraine cannot manage without receiving all possible support in terms of ammunition and air defense systems."

Stating that US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a very good discussion last week regarding air defense systems and ammunition, Rutte said, "Yes, I understand that the US needs to maintain its own defense stocks, but some flexibility needs to be allowed here.

Meanwhile, Europeans are really making an effort. They have pledged 35 billion euros for Ukraine this year. Therefore, there is a shift of the burden from the US to Europe. But we cannot succeed without the actual support of the US. It is also in the interest of the US that Ukraine does not lose this war and that there is not a massive Russia on Europe's border. A secure Europe means a secure US. These are all interconnected," he said.

News Source: İHA