No imminent nuclear threat from Russia, says new Nato chief
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Mark Rutte, the new secretary general of Nato, said he does not see any imminent threat of nuclear weapons being used by Russia despite “reckless and irresponsible” rhetoric by the Kremlin.
Last week, President Vladimir Putin said Russia was considering changing its military doctrine to regard an attack from a non-nuclear state – such as Ukraine – that was backed by a nuclear-armed one to be a “joint attack”.
Putin’s comments came as Ukraine sought approval to use long-range Western missiles against military sites in Russia.
The former Dutch prime minister was speaking at his first press conference since taking over as head of the military alliance.
Rutte said that while he supported Ukraine’s right to carry out such strikes, it was up to allies to lift restrictions and called for Nato countries to continue arming Ukraine, saying that “the more we help Ukraine at the moment, the sooner [the war] will end.”
“The cost of supporting Ukraine is far, far lower, than the cost we would face if we allow Putin to get his way,” Rutte said, reiterating his predecessor’s commitment to bringing Ukraine closer to Nato membership.
He acknowledged that the situation on the battlefield in Ukraine – where Russia is making slow but steady progress – was “difficult”.
However, Rutte also pointed out that Russia’s gains were limited and had come at a high cost, quoting estimates that 1,000 Russian soldiers were being killed or wounded every day.
Mark Rutte, 57, was prime minister of the Netherlands until he stepped down earlier this year following the collapse of his coalition government in 2023.
In June, he was appointed as the next secretary general of Nato.
The term normally lasts four years, but Rutte’s predecessor, the Norwegian economist and former prime minister Jens Stoltenberg, ended up staying in post for ten years.
