NATO Chief, Mark Rutte has labelled US support crucial for Ukraine’s security guarantees in a potential peace agreement with Russia.
Rutte’s remarks came in at a news conference with the President of Slovakia, Peter Pellegrini during his visit to Slovakia.
“Strong security guarantees, if provided by European countries, need a backup by the United States, not with boots on the ground, but we still need generally a backup from the U.S. to make sure that the deterrence is there.
“We all want to see an end to the terrible aggression against Ukraine, and it is vital that any deal reached brings an enduring peace that Russia will never again try to take one more square kilometer of Ukrainian land.”
Mark Rutte
He stressed that it will require robust security guarantees, noting that NATO allies are actively discussing what that might entail.
Underlining Europe’s “vital role in securing peace in Ukraine,” he said, “We have been in close touch with the U.S. administration on this at every level, and we all agree that we need an enduring peace in Ukraine.”
“At the same time, we should continue to strengthen Ukraine’s hands so that they can come to the negotiating table from a position of strength as an alliance.”
Mark Rutte
Asked about US President Donald Trump’s initiative to negotiate peace directly with Russia, Rutte said that he was “a bit irritated” when he heard it for the first time in Munich.
He emphasized the significance of U.S. special envoy, General Keith Kellogg’s visit to NATO headquarters, where he briefed Ambassadors on Monday.
He also highlighted French President, Emmanuel Macron’s efforts in organizing a meeting in Paris on the topic and noted that further discussions would follow.
Rutte downplayed the importance of individual meetings, stressing that what truly matters is Europe’s ongoing dialogue on structuring security guarantees for Ukraine after a peace agreement, saying it’s “not important” who is or is not there.
“What’s important is that somehow in Europe, we are discussing how to organize the security guarantees into Ukraine post a peace deal. It’s a step-by-step process.”
Mark Rutte
NATO Chief Echoes Call For Increased Defence Spending
Regarding the defense spending, the NATO Chief said that 2% is “not enough.”
Rutte said that Washington has made its commitment “to a strong NATO” clear but expects that “all NATO allies are contributing their fair share.”
“Defence spending across the alliance is on an upward trajectory but growing threats will require growing investments. I think it will be considerably more than 3% at least.”
Mark Rutte
However, he said that the percentage is under consideration, and the alliance should decide on a timetable.
Separately, Greece Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis highlighted the need for Europe to augment its defence capabilities earlier, telling a news agency, “This is really the time when we need to move more from words to actions.”
The centre right leader, who has long advocated that the continent spend more on defence, said that increased budget flexibility was required to allow EU member states to allocate funds to the sector.
“I have always been in favour of the view that Europe should set its own defence policies. We need to increase resources for defence and we need greater fiscal flexibility in Europe so when we spend more on defence, the incremental spending should not count towards our European deficit calculations.”
Kyriakos Mitsotakis
He argued that it was crucial that a decision was made on the issue at the next European Council in mid-March. He stated, “We cannot delay this decision any longer. In extraordinary times, we need to take extraordinary measures.”
Mitsotakis’ comments chimed with recent statements made by the European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, who has not ruled out spending on defence being exempted from EU limits on government spending.
The Greek Prime Minister emphasised the importance of Europe speaking “with one voice” on the issue of Ukraine.
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