NATO will not take part in securing a ceasefire in Ukraine - "I am optimistic the war will end this year," Rutte tells Bloomberg

It’s normal if the war would have stopped for Europe somehow, step by step, and also for the US, step by step, to restore normal relations with Russia, stated NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in an interview with Bloomberg TV.

Higher European defence budgets and a ramp-up of production by military equipment industries are necessary to secure Europe, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said in a German newspaper interview.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said relations with Russia should eventually be normalized once the fighting ends in Ukraine, while stressing the need to keep pressure on Moscow to ensure progress in ceasefire negotiations.

The head of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization says if the Russian invasion of Ukraine can be ended, relations with the Kremlin will likely be normalized. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte made the comment Friday during an interview with Bloomberg TV following his Thursday sit-down with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office.