NATO Secretary General Rutte: Ukraine's rightful place is in NATO
New Secretary General of NATO Mark Rutte has said at the NATO Headquarters in Brussels on Tuesday that Ukraine's rightful place is in the alliance.
"My second priority is to step up our support for Ukraine and bring it ever closer to NATO. Because there can be no lasting security in Europe without a strong independent Ukraine," he said.
Rutte also noted that he knows from personal experience with the downing of flight MH17 in 2014 how "conflict in Ukraine is not contained to the front lines."
"So, we must do our part. We must deliver on the package agreed at the Washington summit – command, financial pledge and irreversible path to membership. […] Ukraine's rightful place is in NATO," he said.
The new Secretary General said he will work "to keep NATO strong and ensure our defenses remain effective incredible against all threats."
"For this we need more forces with better capabilities and faster innovation. This requires more investment, because to do more we must spend more. There is no cost-free alternative if we are to rise to the challenges ahead and keep our 1 billion people safe," he said.
Rutte also said the threat priority is to strengthen our partnerships with "our unique and essential partner the European Union and with countries around the world that share our interests and values."
"I inherited a robust alliance. Yes, my dear friend Jens, thank you. Dear colleagues, I have every intention of keeping up the good work you have initiated in recent years and I'm determined to prepare NATO for the challenges of the future," he said.
Outgoing Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg handed Rutte a gavel given to the alliance in 1963 by Iceland and used for special NATO meetings.
"The last time it was used was when we had the last ministerial meeting in the old headquarters building across the road, and then we used it today. Whether you use it every day is up to you. It's a Viking hammer. Dear Mark, please receive this gavel and let me invite you to take the chair of the North Atlantic Council," he said.