FOCUS – Rutte: We will defend every inch of NATO territory

BRUSSELS, September 30 /ATSH-AA/ – NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Wednesday dismissed Russia’s nuclear warnings regarding Kaliningrad, saying Moscow cannot win a confrontation with the alliance.

Speaking at the Euronews Defence and Space Summit in Brussels, Rutte said NATO is ready to defend its territory.

“We will defend every inch of NATO territory. This threat does not exist and, if something happens, we are ready to respond,” he said.

His comments came after reports that Russia, in a letter, warned NATO against any attempt to isolate Kaliningrad, its western enclave between Poland and Lithuania, saying it is ready to use its entire arsenal, including nuclear weapons.

Rutte declined to confirm the content of the reported letter, but dismissed the claim of an imminent nuclear threat to the Baltic countries.

“We are a defensive alliance. Enough with the nuclear threat. This is absolutely unnecessary and does not help at all. And, in particular, enough with the war in Ukraine, which is an unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine,” he said.

Rutte also said Russian President Vladimir Putin cannot defeat NATO. “Everyone knows he can never win a war against NATO. I do not take this seriously,” he added.

– Europe’s role in defense

Rutte said Russia is suffering heavy losses in Ukraine and claimed that 43,000 troops are being killed or seriously wounded every month.

He said Moscow is trying to divide NATO allies and divert attention from the battlefield.

“If necessary, of course we will defend ourselves. But the most important thing is that all of this is happening because the war is not going well for him in Ukraine. He wants to divide us. He wants us to lose focus when it comes to Ukraine,” Rutte said.

The NATO Secretary General also said Europe must become more capable of facing security threats without relying so heavily on Washington.

“Why are the Americans doing this, neutralizing Iran’s nuclear capacity? Because we cannot. But in the future, we must make sure that as Europeans we can do this ourselves,” he said.

Rutte said increased European defense spending should ultimately enable the continent to take on more responsibility, while maintaining the U.S. commitment to NATO.

“However, the U.S. should remain involved not only in the nuclear aspect, but also in the conventional one, while Europeans take much, much more responsibility for the defense of this part of NATO,” he said.