Brussels [Belgium], February 12: Mark Rutte, Secretary-General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), affirmed the alliance's openness and support for any initiatives that could accelerate the end of the war in Ukraine, including potential diplomatic contacts with Moscow.
Speaking at a press conference in Brussels on Wednesday, Rutte stressed the importance of coordination and transparency among allies regarding such contacts, praising diplomatic efforts led by France and the United States to break the current deadlock.
He noted that Washington's leadership role is a key element in these efforts, adding that any clearly coordinated step that helps bring an end to this horrific war more quickly would receive the necessary support from the alliance.
At the same time, the Secretary-General clearly distanced himself from a proposal put forward by the European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas, which called for making a reduction in the size of the Russian armed forces a condition of any future settlement of the conflict. Rutte described the proposal as a "personal opinion" of the European official that does not necessarily have his support.
Source: Emirates News Agency
