NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has declared that Russian threats will not intimidate the alliance, affirming continued robust support for Kyiv.
This statement came during his first visit to NATO’s special mission for Ukraine in Wiesbaden, Germany, which will soon coordinate military support.
Speaking to a German radio station on Monday, Rutte conveyed a clear message to Russian President Vladimir Putin: “We will persist, we will do what is necessary to ensure he cannot achieve his aims, and that Ukraine will prevail.”
Rutte made these comments from an American base that hosts the new mission headquarters, formally named “NATO’s Security Assistance and Training Mission for Ukraine.” This facility will gradually take over the coordination of Western military support for Kyiv.
This move is widely seen as an effort to safeguard the aid mechanism, particularly in light of the potential return of U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump to the White House.
Diplomats note that delegating the coordination of military aid to NATO might have a limited impact since the United States remains the dominant force within NATO and is the primary supplier of arms to Ukraine.
The total personnel count for the mission is expected to reach about 700, including forces stationed at NATO’s military headquarters in Belgium and logistics centres in Poland and Romania.
Additionally, the Wiesbaden base will host the U.S. unit responsible for long-range missiles, which Washington plans to deploy temporarily in Germany from 2026.
This deployment aims to counter what the two nations describe as the threat posed by Russian missiles stationed near Kaliningrad, approximately 500 kilometres from Berlin.
In a move to swiftly aid Ukraine, the European Union (EU) is urging its member states to decide on allocating €35 billion from frozen Russian assets.
If approved, the EU’s share in the total loan granted by the G7 could drop from €35 billion to €20 billion. Hungary’s final position is expected to be clarified at next week’s meeting.
