NATO should be sure that Ukraine prevails in its warfare towards Russia, the brand new head of the transatlantic army alliance stated after he took cost.
Mark Rutte branded Ukraine his “high precedence” as he formally turned NATO secretary-general at a ceremony in Brussels on Tuesday. The previous Dutch prime minister took over the job from Jens Stoltenberg greater than three months after the alliance’s 32 members appointed him.
Stating that he “can not wait to get to work”, Rutte instructed journalists: “Now we have to be sure that Ukraine prevails as a sovereign, unbiased, democratic nation.”
He additionally famous that, amid the rising warfare between Israel and Hezbollah, monitoring the state of affairs in Lebanon can be on the high of his record.
The brand new NATO chief additionally asserted that he’s not frightened in regards to the upcoming presidential election in the USA as he might work with both candidate.
It has been steered that the Republican candidate, former US President Donald Trump, might reduce help to Ukraine or weaken safety ensures for some NATO members ought to he return to the White Home after the November elections.
Rutte famous Trump’s continued push for NATO allies to spend extra on defence, however stated he was not frightened as he had labored with the US presidential hopeful earlier than.
“He was additionally pushing us on China, and I believe he was proper there,” he added.
The NATO chief additionally famous that ramping up Western defence trade manufacturing and deepening ties with companions within the Asia Pacific as essential duties.
“Mark has the proper background to turn into an ideal secretary-general,” a visibly emotional Stoltenberg stated as he ended a decade in workplace.
“He has served as prime minister for 14 years and led 4 totally different coalition governments … subsequently he is aware of the right way to make compromises, create consensus, and these are abilities that are very a lot valued right here at NATO,” he stated.
Rutte will doubtless must name on such abilities to navigate uncertainty over future Western help for Ukraine. Other than the anomaly round future US help, the European Union’s insurance policies have been laden by opposition from the likes of Hungary.
No change
In the meantime, Russian forces have been advancing on the battlefield greater than two-and-a-half years after the Kremlin’s all-out invasion.
On Tuesday morning, seven individuals, together with three girls, had been killed when Russian troops shelled the southern metropolis of Kherson, in keeping with Ukraine’s Basic Prosecutor’s Workplace.
The assault got here in an space close to a central bus cease and a central market at about 9am (06:00 GMT), the workplace stated in a press release.
Governor Oleksandr Prokudin revealed a video exhibiting the blurred corpses in civilian garments mendacity close to a market stall with tomatoes and different greens.
Russia has denied focusing on civilians however has commonly struck cities and cities behind the entrance line.
Kyiv has urged its allies to boost army help to assist it repel such assaults.
NATO, whose members have provided 99 p.c of all overseas weaponry to Ukraine, agreed at a summit in July to play an even bigger position in delivering arms to Kyiv and Rutte could be key in stewarding that help.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated on social media he needs to work “productively” with Rutte in the direction of bringing his nation into the army alliance – an concept that Russia has declared a pink line.
I congratulate Mark Rutte on taking on his duties as NATO Secretary Basic.
I want him each success on this new position and sit up for working productively collectively to strengthen Euro-Atlantic safety and our partnership with the Alliance, as Ukraine continues on its path…
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) October 1, 2024
“I want him each success on this new position and sit up for working productively collectively to strengthen Euro-Atlantic safety and our partnership with the alliance, as Ukraine continues on its path in the direction of full-fledged NATO membership,” Zelenskyy wrote on X.
A spokesman for the Kremlin stated Russia expects no change of coverage from the brand new NATO chief.