Speaking on Saturday, Feb. 15, during a panel discussion at the Munich Security Conference, Rutte emphasized the need for Europe to take a more active role in shaping Ukraine’s future.
“There must be a strong and lasting peace in Ukraine—on this, there is absolute agreement between Americans and Europeans. To our European friends, I say: join the discussion. And not by complaining about whether you have a seat at the table, but by presenting concrete proposals, raising defense spending, ensuring training, and continuing military supplies. Bring real ideas on what security guarantees should look like,” Rutte said.
He stressed that European NATO members must focus on planning and defining their contributions to defense initiatives.
“There is a very clear consensus: we must ensure Ukraine is in the strongest possible position for peace negotiations. That means continued training for Ukraine, continued arms supplies, and ensuring that, after these talks, Ukraine will never again face threats from Russia or Vladimir Putin,” Rutte added.
Rutte expressed optimism about transatlantic cooperation, saying he sees strong U.S. commitment to strengthening NATO in his discussions with American officials.
However, he warned that boosting Europe’s defense production remains a key challenge.
“Russia has switched to a wartime economy, while we have not—and we must. This will also be good business for Americans because Europe is already paying four times more to the U.S. than the U.S. spends in Europe. Increasing defense production will mean a major injection of dollars into the American economy,” Rutte noted.
On Feb. 14, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that a ceasefire without real security guarantees would be meaningless for Ukraine.
In an interview with U.S. podcaster Lex Fridman in January, Zelenskyy recalled that Russia violated a ceasefire agreement within a month of the 2019 Normandy summit.