NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte described Türkiye as "a key Ally in NATO" on Friday, speaking to reporters at the European Political Community (EPC) meeting in Dublin, according to a transcript published by NATO and a report by Anadolu Agency (AA).
Rutte said Türkiye had been part of the alliance almost from its beginning, has one of the largest armed forces in Europe and one of its biggest defence industrial bases, and is highly respected by the other 31 allies, both sources reported.
Role in Ukraine security guarantees
Rutte said Europeans and the United States had reached joint conclusions in Paris in January on how security guarantees for Ukraine would work, with Türkiye and other European countries expected to play a role and the US providing support. He said the arrangements were largely ready but still required a peace deal or at least a ceasefire, according to NATO and AA.
He said deliveries of US equipment to Ukraine under the PURL programme, which European allies and Canada pay for, were continuing, and confirmed when asked that these include Patriot air defence systems.
On the diplomatic track, Rutte said the US, Europe and Ukraine were aligned after the talks in Abu Dhabi, and that the outcome now depended largely on whether Russia was willing to engage. For the US envoys’ talks in Moscow and Dublin, see our earlier report.
Defence spending and hybrid threats
Rutte said European allies and Canada face a threat from Russia and from Russia’s cooperation with Iran, China and North Korea. He said they had added a combined 250 billion dollars in defence spending over 2025 and 2026, but that more money and higher arms production were still needed, the two sources reported.
He also called for a "whole of society" approach, involving governments, industry and citizens, to hybrid attacks such as cyberattacks and arson across Europe.
Asked about earlier remarks that drew criticism in Portugal, Rutte said he had no criticism of Portugal or Spain, both of which are increasing defence spending. He said Russia’s newest missiles would take only about five minutes longer to reach cities such as Dublin, Amsterdam, Madrid or Rome than Tallinn or Vilnius, according to NATO and AA.
Sources
- Doorstep statement by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the Meeting of the European Political Community (NATO)
- Rutte’den Türkiye’nin rolüne vurgu, müttefiklere savunmayı güçlendirme ve Ukrayna’ya desteği artırma çağrısı (Anadolu Ajansı)
Photo: Ad Meskens / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
