NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said Russia was continuing its attacks in Ukraine at a joint press conference with Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša at NATO Headquarters in Brussels. Rutte said the dangerous attacks, which also targeted civilian infrastructure near NATO territory, were continuing.
Rutte said an attack on a passenger train in Ukraine showed that Russian President Vladimir Putin believed support for Ukraine could be ended and NATO’s unity weakened. He said this calculation was wrong.
Rutte said they would increase their support for Ukraine and that Russia was mistaken on this matter.
Rutte said NATO had the capacity to provide all necessary responses to Russia’s hybrid threats. He said this capacity was not always visible or public, adding that NATO had all the response options it needed.
Rutte also stressed that NATO was not fighting in Ukraine and said the allies continued to support the country.
Janša says Slovenia will continue supporting Ukraine
Janez Janša said he had held a very productive meeting with Rutte. He announced that Slovenia aimed to reach NATO’s defense spending target next year.
Underlining the importance of each country developing its own defense capabilities, Janša said collective defense was also important. Janša said Slovenia would continue to stand by Ukraine.