NATO chief warns Putin that it is ‘ready and willing’ to defend itself

NATO Secretary Gen. Mark Rutte warned Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday that the alliance was “ready and willing” to take on Moscow if it attacks — with the European Union moving forward with a risky plan to use $105 billion in frozen Kremlin assets to fund Ukraine.

Just a day after Putin warned Europe that Russia was ready for all out war, Rutte fired back during his remarks at a NATO foreign ministers gathering in Brussels.

“NATO is a defensive alliance. We will remain a defensive alliance, but make no mistake, we are ready and willing to do what it takes to protect our 1 billion people and secure our territory,” Rutte said.

Rutte noted that Russia has increasingly engaged in “reckless behavior” against NATO, including repeated violations of the defense bloc’s airspace during mass bombardments on Ukraine.

Despite the lack of a US presence at the NATO meeting, Rutte said he was in contact with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who recently met with Ukrainian officials in Miami to hash out the terms of a cease-fire deal.

“[President Trump is] the only one person in the whole world who was able to break the deadlock when it comes to war in Ukraine,” Rutte said of the recent round of negotiations.

“But getting this peace done, as also the American president has said, is not something [that can be done] in a straight line, in one go,” he added.

Rutte’s warning comes as the EU unveiled a new plan to use half of the frozen Russian assets in Europe to fund Ukraine’s financial and military needs for the next two years.

“Today we are sending a very strong message to the Ukrainian people. We are with them for the long haul,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.

Von der Leyen defended using the funds despite concerns from Belgium, which holds the vast majority of the money, with Brussels warning of “possible retaliation from Russia,” if the frozen assets are spent.

Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot described the EU plan to set up a reparations loan using the Russian money as too risky for his country and something that has never been done before.

“The reparation loans scheme entails consequential economic, financial and legal risks,” he said.

“It is not acceptable to use the money and leave us alone facing the risks.”

Von der Leyen, however, argued that using the frozen assets would not only strengthen Ukraine’s position at the peace negotiation with Russia, but also send a message to Moscow.

“The prolongation of the war on their side comes with a high cost for them,” she said.

With Post wires