I cannot predict when there will be peace in Ukraine, it needs time, said NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in an open conversation dedicated to the meeting of the heads of state and government of the countries of the pact starting tonight in The Hague.
He described as frivolous the claims expressed by the Russian side during the peace talks in Istanbul between representatives of Kiev and Moscow. I hope that serious talks will begin in the near future, Rutte said.
NATO does not exist only because of the threat from Russia. This threat is the biggest, it is immediate and long-term, he explained. According to him, there are also threats from China, North Korea and Iran, which support Russia in the war against Ukraine.
If we do not increase defense spending, we will not be able to protect ourselves from the Russian threat. If we want to prevent war, we must invest more in defense, Rutte urged. We have everything we need to implement Article 5 of the Washington Treaty. The people of NATO countries know that we are living in more dangerous times and we have enemies and rivals who may decide to attack us. My message to the European allies is to stop worrying so much about the participation of the United States in the alliance, and to make investments, to support Ukraine, he insisted.
The United States is committed to NATO, but they expect us to finally deal with the insufficient spending of Canada and the European allies. Each ally decides for itself how to achieve the necessary number of soldiers, whether there should be compulsory military service, the Secretary General pointed out.