Rutte criticizes Lavrov: Let’s not pay too much attention to minister from time of Jesus Christ

Rutte specifically noted that Lavrov has been Russia’s foreign minister "since the birth of Jesus Christ."

"And since then, nothing useful came out of his mouth. Let's not pay too much attention to Mr. Lavrov," he added.

Earlier, Rutte stated that NATO would not hesitate to respond to provocations from Russia.

The NATO chief said the Alliance "will act decisively and quickly" in response to incidents involving unidentified drones and aircraft, adding that NATO has already demonstrated this in previous incidents.

Rutte also noted that, under the PURL initiative, Ukraine will continuously receive US weapons funded by NATO member countries.

He pointed out that NATO has already allocated $2 billion for the purchase of American weapons for Ukraine.

"So you will see a constant flow of American weapons into Ukraine, paid for by allies," the NATO chief said.

According to Rutte, this military aid, combined with sanctions and NATO member states’ defense spending, creates pressure on Russia that should ultimately force it to stop its actions.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. State Department spokesperson Tommy Piggott said that a series of conditions were presented to the Russian minister during the meeting.

Rubio once again urged Russia to halt its aggression and take meaningful steps toward a long-term resolution of the war in Ukraine.