Mark Rutte warned of the risk of fuel shortages for NATO military equipment

BRUSSELS, September 25 - RIA Novosti. The closure of oil refineries in Europe and the lack of construction of new facilities could lead to a shortage of fuel for tanks and combat aircraft in the event of a military conflict, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said.

"We see that no new oil refineries are being built in Europe. We see that refineries are closing. And if war breaks out... and we have to defend ourselves, we will need huge volumes of diesel fuel and other petroleum products for our F-35s, our fighter jets, our tanks and so on. And this is a serious concern," Rutte said in an interview with Bloomberg.

The statement came in response to a question about the possible consequences for NATO of a diesel fuel shortage in Europe. At the same time, Rutte refused to comment on the EU’s concerns about possible restrictions on the export of diesel fuel from the United States, emphasizing that this issue falls within the competence of the European Union.

“Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, and I have one agreement. We work well together, but it will not help matters if we comment on issues within each other’s sphere of responsibility,” said the NATO Secretary General.