The NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte, assured this Wednesday that missile interception systems continue to arrive in Ukraine "every day and every week," emphasizing that the United States "is doing everything it can" to sustain the supply of Patriot batteries to Kyiv, even with the increased demand caused by the war in the Middle East.
Rutte made these statements at a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, following an unexpected trip to Kyiv accompanied by the ambassadors of the 32 allied countries. The visit took place just one day after a new wave of Russian attacks against Ukrainian territory, in which 70 missiles and 650 drones were reportedly used, causing at least 23 deaths and more than a hundred injuries.
"The flow (of anti-missiles) continues from the United States to Ukraine, every day, every week, with these crucial interceptors to ensure that Russian attacks against civilian infrastructure and innocent civilians in this country can be neutralized in many cases," explained the head of the Atlantic Alliance when asked about a possible risk to the supply of Patriot systems due to the escalation of the war in Iran.
In this context, Rutte addressed the doubts of some partners about the continuity of Washington's support. "I want to defend the United States here. I believe, based on all the evidence I have, that they are doing everything they can in terms of delivering PAC-3 and PAC-2 Patriot missiles to Ukraine," he indicated, also emphasizing that the transfer of "critical" intelligence by the United States to Kyiv is ongoing.
The Dutch leader also revealed that US President Donald Trump allegedly pressured the arms industry to quadruple the global production of military equipment. "I met with one of those CEOs after a meeting at the White House. He was still shaking," Rutte commented in a relaxed tone, without specifying the name of the company or the executive he was referring to.
Direct message to young Russians
The head of NATO took advantage of his appearance to send a message to young Russians called up to fight in Ukraine, recalling that the human losses of the Russian army since the beginning of the invasion are very high and amount to "more than 30,000 per month."
"This means that they lose more men in one month than the Soviet Union lost in 10 years during the 1980s in Afghanistan. Absolutely chilling figures," he pointed out, before warning Russian recruits that they are being "deceived" and that, if sent to the front, they "will not receive training" or adequate equipment, so the chances of dying or being injured "are very high."
"Most likely, if you get injured, they will leave you to suffer in the mud until you die," Rutte added, insisting that these warnings are part of the pressure that NATO and its allies are exerting on Moscow to force it to negotiate and end "this terrible war" which, as he recalled, Russia started more than four years ago and which, "tragically, shows no signs of wanting to stop," as evidenced by the latest attacks against Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities.