After ten years of reign of Norwegian Jens Stoltenber, Mark Rutte, former Dutch Prime Minister, began his first day at the head of NATO in Brussels on Tuesday. For his first press conference, the new Secretary General of the Alliance was firm, continuing his predecessor, on the need to continue support for Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin “must realize” that NATO will “not give in” in its support for kyiv, he stressed, while calls for the opening of negotiations are increasing. “It is up to the Ukrainian government to decide when the time has come to discuss peace,” he recalled, again in line with his Norwegian predecessor. “We need to focus on the war effort. […] The more we help Ukraine, the sooner [la guerre] will end,” he insisted.
No “free” alternative to help Ukraine
Mark Rutte also promised to ensure that NATO is in good shape in the face of the Russian threat. And for that, he warned, it will be necessary to spend more. “There is no free alternative if we want to be up to the challenges that await us,” declared the man who for years in The Hague and Brussels defended budgetary rigor.
Only 23 of the 32 countries of the Alliance have achieved the objective set ten years ago of devoting at least 2% of their gross domestic product (GDP) to military spending. And if several of them assure that in the face of the Kremlin much more is now needed, others highlight budgetary constraints.
The war is still raging in Ukraine, two and a half years after the Russian invasion of this country, and the result of the American presidential election of November 5 is awaited with anxiety on both sides of the Atlantic, but also in kyiv which depends for its survival on continued Western military support.
“Ukraine’s place is in NATO”, according to Mark Rutte
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, for his part, welcomed the arrival of Mark Rutte at the head of NATO, reminding him of his country’s objective: to join the Alliance as a full member. “Ukraine’s place is in NATO,” assured the Dutchman on Tuesday, who will nevertheless have to arbitrate between Ukraine’s desire to join the Alliance and the strong reluctance on this point of some of the 32 member countries of NATO, including the United States and Germany.
Support for Ukraine also comes through Washington and Mark Rutte has been confident, dismissing any concerns before the American presidential election. “I’m not worried. I know both candidates very well and I worked with Donald Trump for four years,” said the former Dutch Prime Minister.
The former head of the Dutch government met Donald Trump on several occasions, whom he was able to stand up to during a meeting in 2018 in Washington. He was also able to gain his trust by recognizing that the American was right to emphasize the need for better sharing of the burden within NATO between Americans and Europeans.
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