NATO defense ministers, who are meeting today in Brussels, do not plan to make a decision on supplying longer-range missiles to Ukraine.
This was said before the meeting by the Alliance’s Secretary-General, Mark Rutte.
“For me, as Secretary-General, the task is to ensure the strongest possible support for Ukraine, and we are truly proud that as a collective Alliance we are able to help keep Ukraine in the fight for as long as possible,” Rutte said, while noting that the question of providing Ukraine with longer-range weapons will not be discussed at today’s meeting of NATO defense ministers. “This issue (on supplying longer-range missiles to Ukraine) is not on today’s agenda,” he said.
Commenting on Alliance security on the continent, he noted that in counter-drone measures in European airspace NATO is learning from Ukraine, working to “deploy the latest technologies as soon as possible.”
He reiterated his previous statements that the Alliance responded correctly to earlier airspace incursions.
“There were many questions about whether NATO is capable of acting decisively in the event of any incidents in our airspace. If necessary, we can. Sometimes in public debates the question arises: if a Russian plane, intentionally or not, enters NATO airspace, should we shoot it down — but I disagree. I think we must be absolutely sure that it poses a threat,” the Secretary-General said.
Asked whether a NATO-level decision is needed to shoot down drones or aircraft that violate allies’ airspace, or whether individual allies can do so on their own, Rutte refrained from a direct answer.
“If they (the Russians) intentionally try to do something against NATO, we have everything necessary and all the authorities to protect every inch of NATO airspace and territory,” he emphasized.
Commenting on the EU initiative for a “drone wall,” Rutte rejected the suggestion that this could be a duplication of functions.
“I can assure you that the EU and NATO really work very well together. There is no duplication. The European Commission, I, the relevant commissioners including Andrius Kubilius, and of course Kaja Kallas and others — we are all ensuring that the strengths of both organizations are used, and NATO handles the military side well, while the EU brings huge soft power of the internal market, the soft power of money,” the Secretary-General said.
