The NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte, adheres to the provocative position that Russia constitutes the most significant threat to the Alliance both today and in the long term, emphasizing that it is the issue that concerns him the most. In his interview with the Anadolu agency, ahead of the NATO summit to be held in Ankara on July 7-8, Mark Rutte characteristically stated: "I usually try to sleep at night, but if there is something that deprives me of sleep, that is Russia."
"Russia is the primary threat"
The head of NATO underlined that, although China is rapidly strengthening its military capabilities, Russia continues to constitute the core challenge for the Alliance. "China is carrying out a massive military buildup and by 2030 will possess 1,000 nuclear warheads. We must not be naive toward China. But Russia is the primary threat today and in the long term," he stated. Concurrently, he emphasized that one of the core priorities of NATO remains the maintenance of support toward Ukraine.
Goal to implement the decisions of The Hague
Referring to the Ankara summit, Mark Rutte expressed the hope that, after its completion, it will be considered that the commitments made during the Hague summit the previous year were put into practice. These commitments mainly concern the increase of the defense spending of the member-states and the strengthening of the defense industry of the Alliance.
Priority on increasing defense production
The Secretary General of NATO noted that there are already successful examples of implementing the decisions and that the overall situation is improving. As he stated, one of the most important priorities is increasing the production capacity of the defense industry, a topic that will be at the center of the NATO Defense Industry Forum, which will take place on the first day of the summit in Ankara.
NATO accelerates rearmament
The statements by Mark Rutte come at a time when NATO has entered a phase of rapid rearmament. According to the decisions of the Alliance, member-states are called upon to significantly increase their defense expenditures, to replenish military stockpiles that were depleted due to support toward Ukraine, and to expand the production of ammunition, missiles, air defense systems, and unmanned aerial vehicles. Concurrently, European governments are continuously announcing new armament programs, while the largest defense industries in Europe and the US are significantly increasing their production capacity.
Russia rejects the claims
Moscow historically rejects the claims that it is planning an attack against a NATO member-state, characterizing the relevant statements as "baseless" and arguing that they are used to justify increased military spending and the further reinforcement of the Alliance on the Russian borders. The Kremlin has repeatedly accused NATO of pursuing a policy of military encirclement of Russia through its continuous eastward expansion, while it considers that the growing presence of NATO forces in Eastern Europe further burdens the already tense security environment.
Zakharova unleashed
With an ironic tone, the spokesperson of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova, commented on the recent statements by the Secretary General of NATO, Mark Rutte, who had mentioned that Russia is one of the reasons keeping him awake at night. According to TASS, Maria Zakharova responded mockingly, stating that until today she believed the only thing that could deprive Mark Rutte of sleep was a woman.
Putin's statements and the assessment of a former CIA analyst
Concurrently, it is recalled that the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, had stated in his interview with the American journalist Tucker Carlson that Moscow is not planning an attack against NATO countries, arguing that there is no reason for such an action. From his side, the former CIA analyst, Larry Johnson, assessed that Vladimir Putin has made it clear to Western countries that Russia is ready to react to any threat against its security.
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