Rutte: NATO must boost defense as U.S. mulls Crimea stance
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte emphasizes the difference between recognizing the occupation of Crimea and its legal recognition as part of Russia. In an interview with Fox News, he expressed skepticism about the U.S. proposal to accept the annexation of Crimea.
What do you need to know?
- Mark Rutte, NATO Secretary General, said that recognizing the occupation of Crimea is not equivalent to its legal recognition as part of Russia.
- Rutte cited the example of the Baltic countries, which were controlled by the USSR but were never legally recognized as part of it by the U.S. and the world.
- The NATO Secretary General noted that NATO countries must increase their defense spending above 3 percent to meet the threats from Russia.
In a Friday interview with Fox News, Mark Rutte addressed the U.S. proposal to recognize Russia's annexation of Crimea.
Rutte emphasized that there is a significant difference between acknowledging that part of a country is occupied and legally declaring it belongs to another country. He cited the example of the Baltic countries, which were controlled by the USSR but were never legally recognized as part of it by the U.S. and the world.
Will NATO increase defense spending?
Rutte noted that NATO countries must increase their defense spending above 3 percent of GDP to effectively address threats from Russia. He stressed that this is necessary not only due to pressure from the U.S.
He explained that there is a persistent threat from the Russians, who are rapidly undergoing rearmament.
Rutte also expressed confidence that achieving this goal is possible.
The NATO chief praised President Trump's peace initiative, which he believes broke the deadlock and made the end of the war possible. However, he stressed that any peace agreement must be durable and guarantee that Putin would never again attempt to seize even a single square mile of Ukrainian territory, let alone challenge NATO.
