Mark Rutte has taken the helm as the new general secretary of NATO and has said that Ukraine must “prevail.”
Rutte said on Tuesday speaking alongside the outgoing Jens Stoltenberg that NATO has to ensure Ukraine “prevails as a sovereign, independent, democratic nation.”
The Kyiv Independent reported, Rutte said, “You’ve already mentioned the priorities you’ve been working on and these priorities we’ll take forward in the future [of Ukraine].
We have to make sure that Ukraine prevails as a sovereign, independent, democratic nation.
The new general secretary said that NATO members will have to “spend more” which will “increase our collective defence” so that “NATO’s partnerships… have to go wider, and deeper, given all the insecurities in the world.”
Speaking of the two presidential hopefuls, Rutte said, “I know both candidates very well. I worked for four years with Donald Trump. He was pushing us to spend more, and he achieved it at the moment we are at a much higher spending level.”
He added, “He was also pushing us off China, and he was right.
Of course, Kamala Harris has a fantastic record as vice president, she is a highly respected figure. So, I hope, I will be able to work with both.”
