NATO has told Russia to stop making nuclear threats, Secretary-General Mark Rutte said on Sept. 30, adding that the alliance faced no imminent threat to its territory.
Speaking at the Euronews Defence and Space Summit in Brussels, Rutte was asked about reports that Moscow had warned it could use nuclear weapons to defend Kaliningrad, its Baltic exclave.
He declined to disclose the Russian letter’s contents but said NATO had replied, stressing its defensive role and calling on Moscow to “stop the nuclear threats” and end its war in Ukraine.
Rutte said Russian President Vladimir Putin knew he could not defeat NATO and dismissed suggestions that the warning signaled a risk of nuclear escalation against the Baltic states.
“There is no imminent threat to NATO territory,” he said, adding that the alliance would detect any Russian military buildup and was prepared to respond.
He accused Moscow of using threats and hybrid attacks to divide allies and divert attention from Ukraine. Such incidents should be met with more support for Kiev, he said.
Rutte said 43,000 Russian troops were being killed or seriously wounded each month in Ukraine. He said Ukrainian forces were holding the front line and striking deep inside Russia, putting them in a better position than six months or a year ago.
He acknowledged, however, that Russian strikes were hitting Ukrainian cities and energy infrastructure hard, while Kiev faced a shortage of air-defense interceptors. He urged allies to supply more missiles for the coming weeks and months to help protect lives.
On peace efforts, Rutte said U.S. officials were working to secure an agreement but Putin did not appear willing to engage. He said he could not predict whether a deal would be reached before winter.
Rutte also called on European allies to take greater responsibility for their own defense, while saying the United States would retain a conventional military presence in Europe alongside its nuclear security commitments.
