Rutte called on NATO to prepare for war and increase support for Ukraine

With these words, he began a two-day session of the NATO Military Committee in Brussels on January 15.

To prevent war, we must prepare for it. It is time to move to wartime thinking, which means we need to make our defenses even stronger, by spending more on defense, by creating more and better defense capabilities.

Mark Rutte

NATO Secretary General

We need to support Ukraine more to change the trajectory of the war, we all want it to end, but above all we want the peace to last.

Rutte said his priority in office is "ensuring that we do everything necessary and that we are proactive on Ukraine and the partnership, fully and quickly. And for that, I count on your continued participation and support."

NATO defense ministers are meeting with more than 20 of their counterparts to discuss the global security situation and future challenges.

Mark Rutte emphasized that Russia's threatening actions against European countries are gaining momentum and the alliance must protect its people.

We must continue to do everything we can together to protect all our people. Our future security is at stake, Russia's war against Ukraine continues, Russia's hostile actions against our own countries are gaining momentum through cyberattacks, assassinations, acts of sabotage, etc. We used to call this hybrid action, but these are destabilizing actions and campaigns.

According to Rutte, Russia "is trying to weaken our democracies in order to gradually undermine our freedoms. And it is not alone, alongside it are China, North Korea and Iran."

The NATO Military Committee session is chaired by the Chairman of the Committee, Admiral Rob Bauer.

Rutte emphasized the strengthening of the military-industrial complex of NATO countries

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte told the European Parliament that peace in Ukraine can only be lasting if Ukraine negotiates from a position of strength. This, he said, requires continued support and more weapons to allow the country to better defend itself.

I don't know how or when the war will end, but I do know that peace will not last if Putin achieves his goals in Ukraine... Peace will not last if Putin, Xi Jinping, Kim Jong-un, and the regime in Tehran greet each other, feeling stronger.

The head of the Alliance expressed deep concern about the security situation in Europe:

We are not at war, but we are not at peace either.” According to him, Russia is intensifying its destabilization campaign against Western countries: “What we used to call hybrid warfare, I would call it a destabilization campaign. And Russia is not alone — it has China, North Korea, and Iran alongside it.