NATO chief says latest attacks on Kyiv show Putin is 'willing to continue' war

BERLIN

NATO chief Mark Rutte slammed Russia on Thursday for its latest missile and drone strikes that hit civilian areas and the EU diplomatic mission in Kyiv, killing at least 14 people and wounding dozens.

“We are all shocked with what happened, first of all, because these are attacks not on military targets; these are civilian targets,” Rutte said, adding that he had spoken with top EU officials this morning to discuss the developments.

“While we try to do everything to support US President Trump to bring this war to an end, in the meantime, Russian President Putin is willing to continue doing this, continue hitting out at innocent civilians in Ukraine,” he told a press conference in the southern German city of Wurzburg.

Earlier in the day, European Council President Antonio Costa said the EU's diplomatic mission was damaged in a "deliberate Russian strike" and vowed that Europeans "will not be intimidated" by this attack.

Rutte, who was visiting Germany on Thursday to attend a meeting of co-ruling parties, said the latest developments have shown how important it is for European governments to increase defense spending and maintain their military support for Ukraine.

“We cannot be naive about Russia, we cannot be naive about Vladimir Putin, and last night is an evidence of that,” he told reporters, and also warned that Russia may deploy various hybrid warfare tactics against Ukraine and its Western allies.

“Russia is capable of hybrid attacks. This can take the form of assassination attempts. It can take the form of jamming commercial aircraft in the Baltics,” Rutte said. “So we know that Russia is capable of a lot. Also here, we should not be naive, and I know Germany is not naive.”