NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte expressed doubt that Russia will be able to dictate the conditions of Washington for a ceasefire in Ukraine. According to him, the Kremlin must show a real desire to end the war. Rutte said this in an interview with CBS News, reports Focus.
Rutte pointed out that as part of US efforts to end the conflict in Ukraine, last week "the ball was in the Russians' court".
„They are not moving fast enough. My impression, and the impression of my American colleagues, is that Russia needs to do much more to end this war,” he commented.
The NATO Secretary General stressed that the war must end because “so many people are dying, so much Ukrainian infrastructure is being destroyed, and cities are being destroyed.”
Regarding the presenter’s remark that the administration of former US President Donald Trump is expressing a desire for a complete ceasefire while Russia is only agreeing to a partial one, Rutte said:
“I am talking to (US Secretary of State) Marco Rubio and I am in constant communication with other members of the US administration. I think they are really trying, step by step, to get to a situation where this war can end. But, of course, Russia – "The Russians also need to be actively involved, and at the moment it seems they are not, and that will be difficult."
Rutte also expressed doubts about whether Russian President Vladimir Putin is actually considering ending his large-scale military aggression against Ukraine.
"We don't know. I think this is a test now and we need to see what his reaction to the American proposals will be," the NATO secretary general noted.