NATO chief urges gradual restoration of Russia relations

• Mark Rutte, NATO Secretary General, emphasized in an interview with Bloomberg TV that after the end of the war in Ukraine, relations with Russia should be restored "step by step."
• Rutte is actively engaged in diplomacy to maintain the unity of the transatlantic alliance, especially in light of reduced US support for Ukraine.
• NATO plans to increase defense spending to at least 3% of GDP at the next summit in June.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte highlighted in an interview with Bloomberg TV that following the conclusion of military actions in Ukraine, relations with Russia should be normalized gradually. "It’s normal if the war would have stopped for Europe somehow, step by step, and also for the US, step by step, to restore normal relations with Russia," he stated.

However, the NATO chief noted the current necessity of maintaining pressure on Russia to encourage it to take negotiations seriously. "But we are absolutely not there yet, we have to maintain the pressure on them," he indicated.

Rutte is conducting intense diplomatic efforts to maintain the alliance's unity, particularly given the reduced US involvement in Europe. Former President Donald Trump signaled that the US might retreat from its traditional role as a security guarantor in Europe, pressing European countries to increase their defense spending. Rutte met with Trump at the White House, where they discussed the possibility of a ceasefire in Ukraine.

Rutte confirmed that NATO plans to increase defense spending to at least 3% of GDP at the next Alliance summit in June. He emphasized that NATO must ensure that we can defend ourselves, and at the moment we cannot defend ourselves alone.

The NATO Secretary General also acknowledged that Ukraine's accession to the Alliance is not currently on the table.