NATO Chief Urges Europe to ‘stop complaining’
NATO's Mark Rutte has urged European leaders to move past complaints and focus on delivering tangible solutions to security challenges, particularly regarding Ukraine. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has called on European leaders to stop lamenting about being excluded from discussions regarding the future of Ukraine and to pursue actionable solutions instead.
During his remarks at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, Rutte highlighted the importance of generating concrete proposals, particularly concerning the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict and the bloc’s efforts to increase defense spending.
“Get into the debate, not by complaining… but by coming up with concrete ideas,” he stated.
Rutte further encouraged NATO members to enhance their military expenditures, stressing that many countries have fallen short of previously agreed-upon defense expenditure targets despite earlier commitments. He also indicated that the US-led alliance is expected to reach a new agreement on spending targets at the upcoming summit scheduled for June.
European NATO members have expressed concern about the risk of being excluded from upcoming peace negotiations aimed at resolving the nearly three-year-long Ukraine conflict, especially in light of a recent phone conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump. This marked the first known high-level communication between the US and Russian leadership since the intensification of the Ukraine crisis in February 2022.
In response, seven European nations alongside the EU Commission asserted their need for inclusion in any forthcoming negotiations, arguing that their absence could jeopardize the establishment of lasting peace. “Our shared objectives should be to put Ukraine in a position of strength. Ukraine and Europe must be part of any negotiations,” they stated in a joint declaration following a ministerial meeting in Paris, insisting that a “just and lasting peace in Ukraine is a necessary condition for a strong transatlantic security.”
Nonetheless, Washington has indicated that European countries may not be granted a role in the discussions. Keith Kellogg, Trump’s special envoy on Russia and Ukraine, remarked at the MSC on Saturday that while Kiev would certainly be present, Europe might not receive a seat at the negotiation table. “What we don’t want to do is get into a large group discussion,” he explained.
Max Fischer for TROIB News
During his remarks at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, Rutte highlighted the importance of generating concrete proposals, particularly concerning the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict and the bloc’s efforts to increase defense spending.
“Get into the debate, not by complaining… but by coming up with concrete ideas,” he stated.
Rutte further encouraged NATO members to enhance their military expenditures, stressing that many countries have fallen short of previously agreed-upon defense expenditure targets despite earlier commitments. He also indicated that the US-led alliance is expected to reach a new agreement on spending targets at the upcoming summit scheduled for June.
European NATO members have expressed concern about the risk of being excluded from upcoming peace negotiations aimed at resolving the nearly three-year-long Ukraine conflict, especially in light of a recent phone conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump. This marked the first known high-level communication between the US and Russian leadership since the intensification of the Ukraine crisis in February 2022.
In response, seven European nations alongside the EU Commission asserted their need for inclusion in any forthcoming negotiations, arguing that their absence could jeopardize the establishment of lasting peace. “Our shared objectives should be to put Ukraine in a position of strength. Ukraine and Europe must be part of any negotiations,” they stated in a joint declaration following a ministerial meeting in Paris, insisting that a “just and lasting peace in Ukraine is a necessary condition for a strong transatlantic security.”
Nonetheless, Washington has indicated that European countries may not be granted a role in the discussions. Keith Kellogg, Trump’s special envoy on Russia and Ukraine, remarked at the MSC on Saturday that while Kiev would certainly be present, Europe might not receive a seat at the negotiation table. “What we don’t want to do is get into a large group discussion,” he explained.
Max Fischer for TROIB News
