Polish expert: Rutte will strongly support Ukraine as NATO Secretary General
The former head of the Dutch government, who will become the new NATO Secretary General, will continue Jens Stoltenberg's policy and strongly support Ukraine.
This was stated in an interview with Ukrinform by the former Minister of National Defence of Poland, Janusz Onyszkiewicz.
"This is good news, as it means continuing the line of the current NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, including with regard to Ukraine. Rutte is a politician from a very pro-NATO country, so his election is a good step. He will strongly support Ukraine in the defensive war it is waging and will work to ensure that all member states support Ukraine," Onyszkiewicz said.
At the same time, he noted that it is difficult to say how he will develop relations with Donald Trump, who has a chance to become US president this autumn, as Trump is "a big mystery".
"In fact, if someone in the US says that they know what Trump will do if elected president, it's unlikely to be true. Trump is unpredictable, but the people who used to be in his entourage, are now or may become his advisers, have quite different views," the former Polish defence minister said.
He explained that some of them say that the US should put pressure on Ukraine to abandon the plan to return the occupied territories and accept the current situation. Others argue for continued support for Ukraine, such as former National Security Advisor O'Brien in a recent article for Foreign Affairs. However, this support, according to the American expert, should mainly fall on the shoulders of Europeans.
"If the second option wins out in Trump's environment, the situation is not as bad as everyone fears," Onyszkiewicz stated.
As reported by the agency, on 26 June, the North Atlantic Council agreed on the candidacy of Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte for the post of the next NATO Secretary General.
Photo: Swiss Foreign Ministry