NATO‘s new chief on Tuesday drew a grim picture of Russia‘s leadership, saying that President Vladimir Putin is “not interested in peace.”
Referring to the Ukraine war that Russian launched in February 2022, Secretary General Mark Rutte said: “He is pressing on, trying to take more territory. Because he thinks he can break Ukraine’s resolve.”
“Ukraine is entering another crucial winter. And Russia’s aggression shows no sign of abating. Just the opposite, Putin is ramping up his rhetoric and reckless actions,” Rutte, who took office last month, told a press conference ahead of a NATO foreign ministers meeting in Brussels.
According to Rutte, Putin is using Ukraine as a “testing ground for experimental missiles and is deploying North Korean soldiers in this illegal war.”
Moreover, he said, “Russia and also China have tried to destabilize our nations with acts of sabotage, cyber-attacks, and energy blackmail.”
However, this state of affairs will not deter NATO from supporting Ukraine and consolidating the transatlantic alliance, he said.
Against this background, he added, “We are setting up our new NATO Command in Wiesbaden (Germany) to coordinate security assistance and training for Ukraine.”