Rutte officially became NATO Secretary General: in a speech he called Ukraine a top priority

Rutte officially became NATO Secretary General: in a speech he called Ukraine the main priority Margarita Voloshina

Mark Rutte also remembered Ukraine when taking office as NATO Secretary General/Collage by 24 Kanal, illustrative photo

Supporting Ukraine and ensuring conditions for its victory will remain a key priority for the new NATO Secretary General. Equally important is strengthening transatlantic ties and global partnership in addressing security issues.

Mark Rutte made this statement before the ceremony of assuming powers at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Tuesday, October 1, 24 Kanal writes. He promised that in his new position he would strive to fulfill the commitments made to Kyiv by the Alliance.

What Rutte said about Ukraine in his speech

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has left his post and handed over his duties to Mark Rutte. Stoltenberg congratulated Rutte on his new position and said that with him “NATO will be in good hands.”

The priorities that we will promote in the future are Ukraine. We must ensure that Ukraine wins as a sovereign, independent, democratic state. Of course, this is our deterrence and defense system. We must increase the level of our collective defense, and you have done so much for this. And of course, this is NATO's global partnership, expanding and deepening it so that it responds to manifestations of danger in the world, the newly elected Secretary General emphasized.

At the same time, Rutte listed three main issues in his work in the future, among which he named Ukraine's approach to NATO membership, since its place is “in the Alliance.” According to him, there can be no long-term security in Europe without a strong, independent Ukraine.

As the official said, from personal experience, in particular after the downing of flight MH17 in 2014, he knows that the war on the territory of our state is not limited to the front line. Therefore, Kyiv's allies are obliged to do their part of the job. In particular, to fulfill the commitments made to Ukraine at the summit in Washington.

The Secretary General also said that he is not concerned about the possible impact of the results of the US presidential election on the unity of the North Atlantic Alliance and, in particular, on its ability to support our state.

“I know both candidates very well. I worked with Donald Trump for four years. He pushed us to spend more (on defense – 24 Channel), and he achieved (this – 24 Channel). Because at the moment, in fact, we are at a significantly higher level of spending than when he took office at the beginning of 2017,” he noted.

Recall that Rutte was officially was confirmed as NATO Secretary General in June of this year. It is known that his candidacy was approved by the ambassadors of all 32 member states of the Alliance.