Rutte calls to raise cost for Putin by providing Ukraine with support it needs to change trajectory of war
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has said it is necessary to "raise the cost" for Putin and his authoritarian friends by providing Ukraine with the support it needs to change the trajectory of the war.
"We must recommit to stay in the course for the long haul. And we must do more than just keep Ukraine in the fight. We need to raise the cost for Putin and his enabling authoritarian friends, by providing Ukraine with the support it needs to change the trajectory of the conflict," he said at a joint press briefing with President of France Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday.
"So, we must stand together – Europe, North America and our global partners - to keep our people safe and prosperous," Rutte said.
According to him, "the immediate challenge we face, obviously, is support for Ukraine."
The second major challenge is enhancing the defense of our Alliance in this more dangerous world, the Secretary General said, adding that to go faster, NATO needs more robust transatlantic defense cooperation.
"The more we spend on defense, the more we reduce the risk of future conflict. And I want to welcome that France will invest more than 2% of GDP in defense this year," he said.
Rutte emphasized that Russia, working together with North Korea, Iran and China "is not only threatening Europe, it threatens peace and security."