NATO’s outgoing secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg with incoming leader Mark Rutte at a special NATO meeting in Belgium on Tuesday. Photo courtesy of NATO
Oct. 1 (UPI) — The new leader of NATO, former Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte, pledged on Tuesday to continue leading the alliance in its support of Ukraine and called out China as an “enabler” of Russia in its invasion.
The comments were the first remarks by Rutte as NATO’s secretary-general, replacing longtime leader Jens Stoltenberg, whose 10-year term ended at a special meeting in Belgium.
Rutte thanked Stoltenberg for his leadership and promised to keep improving NATO’s defense along with its unity among member countries.
Rutte said the financial costs of supporting Ukraine is less expensive than to see it fall to Russia. He invoked the shooting down of Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 over Ukraine in 2014, which carried many passengers from the Netherlands on it, as an example of how such wars affect other countries. Russia has been blamed for the shooting down of the airplane.
“An independent and democratic Ukraine is vital for peace and stability in Europe,” Rutte said. “And the cost of supporting Ukraine is far, far lower than the cost we would face if we allow [Russian President Vladimir] Putin to get his way.
“I know from personal experience, with the downing of Flight MH17 how the conflict in Ukraine is not contained to the frontlines. It’s a tragedy that shook my country 10 years ago, one that must never be repeated.”
Rutte said that China and North Korea have propped up Russia’s continued attack on Ukraine and believed it must be addressed.
“Through its support for Russia’s military industry, China has become a decisive enabler of Russia’s war in Ukraine,” Rutte said. “China cannot continue to fuel the largest conflict in Europe since World War II without this impacting its interests and reputation. Russia is also receiving support from North Korea and Iran that allows it to sustain its illegal war.”
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis helped usher in Rutte’s term as NATO’s new secretary-general in June when he dropped his own candidacy to replace Stoltenberg.