Rutte: Russian Hybrid Attacks Show Moscow's Weakness

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said at a press conference in Tallinn, the Estonian capital, on Wednesday that Russia's organised hybrid attacks, meaning covert or indirect actions meant to undermine a target, point to Russian weakness. Together with Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal, he discussed regional security and support for Ukraine, which continues to fight Russia's invasion.

Rutte's assessment

Rutte said attacks such as the arson in mid-August at a building of the Estonian defence company Milrem Robotics are an attempt to draw attention to Russian President Vladimir Putin and his problems rather than to Ukraine's struggle. According to the Secretary General, Putin wants to weaken allied resolve and halt aid to Ukraine, but Russia is failing on the battlefield, and the alliance will not be intimidated.

Rutte said NATO will not hold press conferences over every incident and will respond where it needs to. Some responses, such as the Baltic Sentry mission in the Baltic Sea, are publicly visible, while others are not. He also reminded listeners that NATO is a defensive alliance and said there is no evidence Russia is preparing to attack an ally, adding that NATO sees no direct threat to its territory.

The Secretary General praised Estonia for defence spending of 5% of gross domestic product, among the highest of any member state, and for its leading role in supporting Ukraine.

Michal: supporting Ukraine is a security matter

Michal said Ukraine's membership of NATO would in the long term be Estonia's strongest security guarantee. He believes Russia uses hybrid attacks to test allied unity and wants allies to tire of backing Kyiv. Estonia's military aid will reach 0.28% of GDP this year, down from 0.35% last year. The country has invested 21 million euros in PURL, a NATO-coordinated initiative in which allies pay for US-made weapons sent to Ukraine, and announced a new 10 million euro contribution.

Rutte acknowledged that under President Donald Trump the United States has largely halted weapons donations to Ukraine, though it continues to share intelligence. Ukraine's accession to NATO is currently not up for discussion, mainly because of opposition from several countries, including the US.