Rutte emphasizes Türkiye's role, calls on allies to strengthen defense and increase support to Ukraine

Rutte answered questions from members of the press on the margins of the European Political Community (AST) Summit held in Dublin, the capital of Ireland.

Asked about Türkiye's role in NATO in the context of the situation and tensions in the Middle East, Rutte said, "Turkey is clearly one of NATO's key allies. It has been part of the Alliance almost from the very beginning. It has one of the largest armies in Europe. It has one of the largest defense industrial infrastructures in Europe. Therefore, Turkey is a key ally in every respect and is highly respected by the other 31 allies." he replied.

On the question of NATO's role in the security guarantees that can be provided to Ukraine, Rutte reminded that the Europeans and the USA reached common conclusions on how to shape the guarantees at the "very successful" meeting held in Paris in January this year.

Stating that Türkiye and other key European countries are expected to play a role in these regulations, Rutte stated that the USA will also provide a clear guarantee of support.

"All this is essentially done, ready. But now, of course, we need a peace agreement or at least a ceasefire. That's what everyone is working so hard to achieve," Rutte said. he said.

NATO Secretary General Rutte said, "All these countries face the same threat. Threats emanating from Russia, but also threats arising from Russia working together with countries such as Iran, China and North Korea." he said.

Stating that they will focus on how to deal with these threats at the summit, Rutte emphasized that this primarily requires financial resources.

Noting that European NATO allies and Canada spent a total of 250 billion dollars on additional defense in 2025 and 2026, Rutte stated that although important steps have been taken in this field, more is needed.

Rutte stated that defense industry production should also be increased and said, "We need more weapon systems and more equipment to protect ourselves. A lot is being done in this field, but more needs to be done here too." he said.

Call for support for Ukraine to be strong in negotiations

Emphasizing that Ukraine should be as strong as possible in its struggle, Rutte stated that the Europeans and Canada made significant contributions and that the USA continues to provide critical aid to Ukraine, the cost of which is covered by the Europeans and Canada.

"But we all need to do more here, too, to ensure that Ukraine can survive the winter and be as strong as possible in negotiations with Russia," Rutte said. he said.

When asked about allegations that there may be problems regarding the political will of the USA in the shipment of Patriot systems to Ukraine, Rutte said: "I can say that all deliveries under this program called PURL, that is, the shipment of American equipment to Ukraine, continue, including air defense. This is the positive thing." he said.

When asked whether the shipments included Patriot systems, Rutte said: "Patriots are included." he replied.

"The United States, Europe and Ukraine are largely in harmony"

Rutte stated that US President Donald Trump's son-in-law and Special Representative Jared Kushner and Special Representative for Peace Steve Witkoff would come to Dublin from Moscow and attend the evening meeting, and when asked whether Europe should be at the negotiation table, Rutte said that the positive result of the talks in Abu Dhabi was the harmony between the USA, Europe and Ukraine.

"First of all, let's accept that the extremely positive news coming out of Abu Dhabi is that the USA, Europe and Ukraine are largely in harmony, in the same position," Rutte said. he said.

Stating that US negotiators are in Moscow and they will do their best to achieve a good result, Rutte said, "However, at this stage, this largely depends on Russia." he said.

When asked whether NATO officials in Abu Dhabi had any evidence that Russia was serious this time, Rutte said, "I hope this result will be achieved. Everything now depends on whether the Russians are willing to cooperate. Therefore, it is not meaningful for me to comment on yesterday. Now we are in today, let's see where this goes tonight." made his assessment.

A call for resilience to the whole society against hybrid threats

Drawing attention to hybrid threats such as cyber attacks and arson, Rutte emphasized that an approach covering the whole of society is needed to combat them.

"You're seeing these hybrid attacks all over Europe right now." Rutte noted that the summit will focus on making not only governments but also industry and society as resilient as possible.