Latest Mark Rutte News

NATO chief inspects joint military unit in Bulgaria and urges alliance to boost support for Ukraine

Dec. 19, 2024 12:21 PM EST

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — NATO’s secretary general on Thursday visited a military training site in Bulgaria, inspecting the activities of a multinational unit set up as a response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Mark Rutte told reporters it was important to ensure that the...

NATO leader says he wants to put Ukraine in a position of strength for any peace talks with Russia

Dec. 18, 2024 14:40 PM EST

BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO's secretary-general said he wants to discuss ways to put Ukraine in a position of strength for any future peace talks with Russia during a meeting Wednesday with Ukraine’s president and a small number of European leaders. But Mark Rutte appeared frustrated at...

NATO chief warns that Putin wants long-term confrontation with Europe after Ukraine

Dec. 12, 2024 14:01 PM EST

BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte warned on Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to “wipe Ukraine off the map” and could come after other parts of Europe next, as he urged Europeans to press their governments to ramp up defense spending. “It is...

NATO chief urges European allies to ramp up defense spending as Trump returns to White House

Dec. 04, 2024 11:59 AM EST

BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte led a fresh push Wednesday for European countries to ramp up defense spending, a budget shortfall that President-elect Donald Trump used to berate U.S. allies during his first term in office, severely damaging trust. After Russia...

Hungarian official says there is 'no consensus' on inviting Ukraine to join NATO

Dec. 04, 2024 07:52 AM EST

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungary's foreign minister said a meeting of his counterparts from NATO member countries in Brussels on Wednesday had produced “no consensus” on the prospect of inviting Ukraine to join the transatlantic military alliance, a step Kyiv sees as an essential condition...

NATO's chief avoids talk of Ukraine's membership. He says the priority is helping Kyiv defend itself

Dec. 03, 2024 09:15 AM EST

BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte on Tuesday sidestepped questions about Ukraine’s possible membership in the military alliance, saying that the priority now must be to strengthen the country’s hand in any future peace talks with Russia by sending it more weapons. ...

Zelenskyy says NATO offer for Ukraine-controlled territory could end 'hot stage' of war

Nov. 30, 2024 13:49 PM EST

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — An offer of NATO membership to territory under Kyiv’s control would end “the hot stage of the war” in Ukraine, but any proposal to join the military alliance should be extended to all parts of the country that fall under internationally recognized borders, President...

New NATO chief Rutte says alliance ‘needs to go further’ in support for Ukraine

Nov. 26, 2024 06:47 AM EST

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — NATO’s new Secretary General Mark Rutte on Tuesday said the alliance “needs to go further” to support Ukraine in its fight against a Russian invasion and accused Moscow of dangerously escalating the conflict by bringing in thousands of North Korean troops. ...

NATO head and Trump meet in Florida for talks on global security

Nov. 23, 2024 10:48 AM EST

BRUSSELS (AP) — U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and the head of NATO have met for talks on global security, the military alliance said Saturday. In a brief statement, NATO said Trump and its secretary general, Mark Rutte, met on Friday in Palm Beach, Florida. ...

NATO and the EU press China to help stop North Korea's support for the war on Ukraine

Nov. 14, 2024 10:21 AM EST

BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO and the European Union are ramping up efforts to persuade China to help get North Korea to stop sending troops and other support to Russia to back its war on Ukraine. Up to 12,000 North Korean troops have been sent to Russia’s Kursk border region to help beat...