Rutte says NATO will respond to Russia's hybrid attacks if necessary

Rutte spoke at a joint press conference with Prime Minister Kristen Michal in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia.

Pointing to the increase in hybrid attacks linked to Russia and asking whether Moscow should be considered to be waging a "shadow war" against Europe and whether it should be described as a "supporter of terrorism" like Iran, Rutte emphasized that NATO is prepared against such activities.

"When it comes to all these hybrid, cyber and other activities that the Russians are carrying out, we have trained and prepared against them. We have all the response options we need," Rutte said. he said.

Noting that the responses will not always be made public, Rutte said: "You will not always be able to see what we are doing. It will not always be public. We will not always respond in the same way. Sometimes it will be symmetrical, sometimes it will be asymmetrical." he said.

Reminding that NATO launched the "Baltic Sentry" activity in January 2025 against the cutting of the submarine cable between Estonia and Finland at the end of December 2024, Rutte stated that this was a visible response.

"It will not always be visible what we are doing, but the point is that we are stronger. Russia is not in a good position. These hybrid attacks and the rest they are doing are a sign of weakness," Rutte said. made his assessment.

Stating that Russia's aim is to unsettle its NATO allies, Rutte said:

"They want us to talk about these things all day long, get nervous and hold press conferences about them. We will not do this. We will respond where necessary. I say again, this will not always be visible."

Stating that NATO will continue to increase defense investments and provide the support Ukraine needs, Rutte said, "We will remain calm and continue on our way. This means investing in defense, but especially ensuring that Ukraine has what it needs to remain strong in the war." made his assessment.

Pointing out the importance of Estonia's contribution to the PURL initiative, which envisages providing US-made military equipment to Ukraine with the financing of European countries, Rutte said, "This is the best response we can give to any hybrid attack by Russia." he said.

“We will defend every inch of NATO territory”

In his assessment of Russia's possible threat to NATO territory, Rutte said, "We do not see an imminent threat to NATO territory." he said.

Stating that they will take action against a possible military buildup, Rutte said: "If we see a military buildup, we will respond to it." he said.

Underlining that NATO has the necessary defense plans and is prepared, Rutte said, "We have forward ground forces deployed in a coordinated manner along the eastern flank. Therefore, the message is clear." he said.

Regarding the response to be given if Russia attacks NATO, Rutte said, "Of course, then you will see exactly what we will do if Russia is stupid enough to attack. Therefore, I will not go into details, but you can be sure that we will defend ourselves." he said.

Emphasizing that NATO is a defense alliance, Rutte said:

"We will never attack anyone else because it is not in our interest. We are a defensive alliance. We want to protect our way of life, our interests, our values and our cultures. That is what we are here for, not to attack others."

Trump's statement on intelligence sharing

At the press conference, Rutte was also asked whether he had met with US President Donald Trump.

Pointing to Trump's statement to the press while leaving the White House the previous day, Rutte said, "I think the President was very clear in his short meeting with the press yesterday, when he was leaving the White House for a campaign event. He said that intelligence sharing has not stopped." he replied.