NATO Secretary General urges Germany to continue supporting Ukraine
Berlin, Sept 10 (KUNA) -- NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte urged the German government on Thursday to continue supporting Ukraine and increase defense spending, despite the ongoing debate in Germany over such support, emphasizing that maintaining the current course is the best option at present.
Speaking at a conference with heads of diplomatic missions at the German Foreign Ministry, attended by German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, Rutte said, “Russia shows no willingness to end the war in Ukraine, despite the heavy human losses suffered by its forces.” He added that Russia is incurring “heavy losses,” with approximately 40,000 Russian soldiers killed or injured each month, noting that Russian President Vladimir Putin has shown no willingness to end the war and continues to deliberately target civilians and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.
Rutte stressed that “the response to this must be increased support for Ukraine.” He pointed out that Putin is betting on dividing NATO and weakening Western support for Ukraine, but these moves are producing the “opposite result,” namely “increased support” for Ukraine.
The Secretary General praised Germany’s efforts to strengthen its defense capabilities, stating that “Germany’s commitment to spending 3.5 percent of its GDP on defense by 2029 would significantly raise NATO’s overall defense spending.” He emphasized in this regard that “a stronger Germany means a stronger Europe and a stronger NATO.”
For his part, the German Foreign Minister affirmed that his country would continue on the same path in confronting security challenges, accusing Russia of “not only posing a military threat to NATO but also intensifying cyberattacks, sabotage, disinformation, and attacks on critical infrastructure.” Wadephul stressed the need to enhance Germany’s defense capabilities through increased investment, accelerated production, and military equipment procurement, considering the ultimate goal to be the building of a credible deterrent capability against growing threats. (End)
