Defence, Rutte: “Provide Patriot missiles to Kyiv – the opposite won’t help in the short term”

Brussels – “Putin knows he will never prevail over NATO,” but more must be done to stop him. A very clear message, emphasised today (30 September) by the NATO Secretary-General, Mark Rutte, to the Atlantic Alliance’s partners. During his address at the Euronews Defence and Space Summit, the Secretary-General was asked whether there was “a threat or escalation such as to make the risk of nuclear weapons being used against the Baltic states a real possibility.” The question came after, just a few hours earlier, the Russian Federation had sent a letter to NATO in which it had threatened that if “its territory – including the Kaliningrad exclave – were to come under any threat, it would resort to its nuclear arsenal.”

According to the secretary, it is important to emphasise that NATO is “a defensive alliance” and to “reiterate the call for an end to the war in Ukraine and to nuclear threats.” And it is here “that we, as Europeans, Americans and Canadians, can help ensure they have what they need,” he explained. Rutte’s appeal is for Patriot missiles – a long-range surface-to-air missile system designed for air and missile defence – to be sent or sold to Ukraine as they near the end of their service life. Before the war in Iran, the United States was Ukraine’s largest supplier, but due to the opening of a new front, it has reduced its sales, while Kyiv needs them to cope with the coming winter. 

The Dutch official had expected that, at the latest NATO summit held in Ankara, “the matter would be finalised,” enabling the partners to obtain “the necessary licences for the production” of the missiles. Now, although “discussions are ongoing,” this will not help the Ukrainians “in the short term, as building these missiles takes a long time,” he pointed out. “For the coming winter and for the weeks and months ahead, they simply need more interceptors,” he said, calling for the provision of “whatever you can: it means saving lives,” he concluded. 

The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas, reiterated this call on Monday (28 September) at the EU Defence Council: “Air defence is the number one priority; missile production takes time, and we need the Patriots now,” she warned.