Brussels, Sep 29 — North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) Secretary-General Mark Rutte on Tuesday accused Russia of carrying out a campaign of "hostile actions" against NATO allies and said that Moscow was failing to stop the 32-member military alliance's support for Ukraine.
While addressing a joint press conference with Lithuanian Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevicius, Rutte reiterated NATO's support for Ukraine and said that Russia is failing on the battlefield in Ukraine and in undermining the military alliance's support for Kyiv.
"Russia continues its reckless campaign of hostile actions against NATO Allies. It is trying to weaken our resolve and stop our support for Ukraine. But Russia is failing. It is failing on the battlefield in Ukraine, and it is failing to undermine our unity and support for Ukraine. Our message to Moscow is clear: we will do even more for Ukraine, and not less," he said.
Rutte acknowledged that Russia's activities can have "an impact" but added that NATO has response options, which are sometimes visible and sometimes not. He urged NATO countries to remain calm and carry on.
"No, I am not saying that these malign grey zone activities are not having an impact. They can have an impact, and sometimes they have an impact, clearly. What I'm saying is we have all the response options, sometimes visible, sometimes not - not always public, not always tit for tat," he said in reply to a question on Russia's "hybrid campaign" that has caused "panic" in Europe.
"You have heard the Supreme Allied Commander yesterday saying, 'Hey, when able, when you are sure it is the Russians, or almost sure it is the Russians, attribute it to the Russians' - exactly like Estonia did today. I applaud it. And also share whatever information you have as Allies with NATO, with SHAPE, and with the team of the Supreme Allied Commander, so that we have the complete picture. So, the response options are there. We do what is necessary, and Allies can help indeed by attributing, but also by making sure that we have the collective overview of what is happening. It's exactly as we are doing in the spirit of staying calm, carry on. We are stronger and they know it," he added.
Rutte's statement comes after Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said that the arson attack on Milrem Robotics premises that took place in Tallinn on the night of August 14-15 was an "act of sabotage" ordered by Russia's special services and termed such actions "absolutely unacceptable."
He said that Russia's act of sabotage was part of its campaign across Europe to intimate them and weaken support for Ukraine. He reiterated Europe's support for Ukraine and increasing pressure on Russia to stop its military action in Ukraine.
"Based on the information collected by the Estonian Internal Security Service, we can conclude with certainty that the arson attack on Milrem Robotics premises that took place on the night of 14–15 august in Tallinn was an act of sabotage ordered by the special services of the Russian Federation. Such actions are absolutely unacceptable. In response, the Estonia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs will today summon Russia’s Charge d’affaires," Tsahkhna posted on X.
"The perpetrators have been apprehended and no longer pose a threat to our national security. Estonia is a difficult environment for Russia to carry out such actions because we act decisively and swiftly to protect our state. This act of sabotage is part of Russia’s broader campaign across Europe, aimed at intimidating us and weakening our support for Ukraine. Our response will be the opposite. We will increase both our support for Ukraine and the pressure on Russia to end its aggression. Let’s not lose focus and stay the course, because Russia’s actions are a clear indication that our collective exertion of pressure is working," he added.