New NATO Secretary General calls Ukraine top priority
Mark Rutte (Getty Images)
Mark Rutte's top priority as NATO Secretary-General will be Ukraine. Other key areas include investment in collective defense and relations with allies outside the bloc, citing Rutte's briefing in Brussels.
"It's difficult to distinguish between the three priorities because, of course, Ukraine is at the top of the list. But also, we need to do more in terms of our collective defense and deterrence. We have to invest and close the capability gaps and try to achieve on all the targets NATO has set," he said.
According to him, the third priority is ensuring that NATO continues to build on the partnerships established over the years, including in the Far East.
"They (priorities - ed.) are all three equally important, but obviously, Ukraine is very much in our thoughts," Rutte added.
On October 1, Jens Stoltenberg officially handed over the responsibilities of NATO Secretary-General to former Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte.
Rutte is a strong advocate for supporting Ukraine. He played a key role in convincing the United States of the need to send F-16s to bolster Ukraine's defense. The Netherlands plans to send 24 fighter jets to Kyiv and provide 18 more for training purposes.
