BRUSSELS, Dec 3 (KUNA) -- NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte accused on Tuesday both Russia and China of destabilising Alliance members through what he described as "acts of sabotage, cyberattacks, and energy blackmail" aimed at intimidating NATO members.
Rutte confirmed during a press briefing ahead of the NATO Foreign Ministers' meeting at the Alliance's headquarters in Brussels that NATO allies would confront these threats collectively, adding, "These actions will not deter us from supporting Ukraine or strengthening our own defence stronger." He noted that NATO allies will continue to stand together to face these threats through a range of measures, including greater intelligence sharing and better protection of critical infrastructure.
Rutte also underlined that the focus of the meeting tonight will be on Ukraine, "where the situation on the battlefield is difficult, and we must do everything we can to give more military aid to Ukraine." The NATO Secretary General thanked the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Norway, Sweden, and Estonia for announcing additional military aid to Ukraine, emphasizing the importance of this announcement, especially with winter approaching and the state of Ukraine's energy infrastructure.
For his part, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed that strengthening the Alliance's support for Ukraine in the face of Russia's war remains a priority for the Biden administration "every minute, every day until January 20," the date of the presidential transition to Donald Trump.
Blinken added that the United States shares the concerns expressed by the NATO Secretary General, noting that this only increases the determination of the US to help Ukraine obtain what it needs to cope with what it faces on the battlefield, as well as to address the ongoing attacks on its energy infrastructure, where "Putin is trying to weaponize winter to freeze people," according to his statement. (end) arn.hb