Russia has no authority to dictate whether Western troops are deployed to Ukraine, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said Thursday, insisting Kyiv’s sovereignty must be upheld.
"Why are we interested in what Russia thinks about troops in Ukraine? It is a sovereign nation. It’s not for them to decide," Rutte said at the IISS Prague Defence Summit.
"Ukraine is a sovereign nation. If Ukraine wants to have security guarantee forces in Ukraine to support a peace deal, it's up to them. Nobody else can decide about it. And I think we really have to stop making (Russian President Vladimir) Putin too powerful," he added.
Rutte described Russia's ongoing war on Ukraine as the "most obvious example" of current security threats but warned that the challenge would not end with the conflict.
"The threat will not end when this war does. Nor is the challenge limited to Russia. China, Iran and North Korea pose challenges individually and as a result of the cooperation. They are increasing their defense industrial cooperation to unprecedented levels. They are preparing for a long-term confrontation. So we must be prepared," he said.
Rutte stressed the growing connection between the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific security theaters, pointing to closer cooperation with Japan, Australia, New Zealand and South Korea.
"If China would one day decides to attack Taiwan, it will not be limited to that attack. Why would (Chinese President) Xi Jinping not call his junior partner Vladimir Putin to also keep us busy here in Europe in the northern Atlantic area?" he said.
The NATO chief said security cannot be ensured by money alone, calling for stronger defense industry efforts across the alliance.
"Cash alone can't provide security. We need the capabilities, real firepower, heavy metal, as well as new tech, and that's what our defense industry across the alliance needs to deliver faster than ever in Europe and also in the United States, simply all over the alliance ... We are not producing enough," he warned.
He recalled that until recently, Russia was producing more ammunition than all NATO members combined, despite having an economy smaller than the U.S. state of Texas. But he underlined that Europe is now ramping up its output.
Rutte praised U.S. leadership within the alliance, particularly under President Donald Trump, arguing that it helped push allies to meet higher defense spending commitments.
"This would never have happened without Trump," he said, adding that allies such as Italy, Canada, Spain and Belgium committed to the 5% defense spending target at the June summit in The Hague.
