NATO Secretary General Rutte States Alliance Will Continue Support for Ukraine Despite Russian Threats

The North Atlantic Alliance will not be intimidated by Russian threats and will continue to support Ukraine as it defends itself against Russian invasion, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said during his first visit to the headquarters of the NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine (NSATU) mission in Wiesbaden, Germany.

‘Our message is that we will continue to do what is necessary to ensure that Putin does not get his way, that Ukraine wins,’ Rutte told Reuters and the German public service broadcaster Hessischer Rundfunk.

The new NSATU headquarters will consist of 330 soldiers. The mission, based at a US military base, will involve 700 personnel, including NATO troops stationed at the Alliance's headquarters in Belgium and staff at logistics hubs in Poland and Romania. 

Rutte noted that the new mission command will really help Ukraine on the battlefield and ‘our own security’. The NSATU headquarters will coordinate the provision of military training and equipment to Ukraine by NATO Allies and partners, including artillery, ammunition and air defence systems, and help Ukrainian forces prepare for the future.