Rutte discusses continued support for Ukraine in Spain, Portugal
This was reported by Ukrinform with reference to the NATO press service.
"Secretary General Mark Rutte travelled to Lisbon and Madrid on Monday (27 January) for discussions on the security situation in Europe, the need to increase defence spending, and the importance of continued support to Ukraine," the report said.
In Lisbon, the Secretary General met with President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro and other members of the government. In Madrid, Mr. Rutte met with the Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and other officials.
The Secretary General said that to keep NATO strong, the Alliance must continue to adapt and that to guarantee security in the future, it is necessary to ramp up efforts now. He highlighted the need to spend more on defence and welcomed recent increases in Portugal’s and Spain’s defence spending, stressing that the goal of 2% set a decade ago “will not be enough to meet the challenges of tomorrow”.
Speaking in Lisbon, Rutte said that Russia is challenging the resilience of the Allies with acts ranging from assassination attempts to cyber-attacks to sabotage.
"During the visit, the Secretary General also thanked Portugal and Spain for their support to Ukraine and stressed that this is crucial, so that when Ukraine decides to go to the negotiating table, they can do this from a position of strength," the report says.
As Ukrinform reported earlier, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio earlier held a phone call with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on the Trump administration's foreign policy priorities, also discussing the issue of Russia's war against Ukraine.
Photo: www.nato.int
