MUNICH, Germany — The Russian people should be aware that the ongoing war is devastating their country and should actively work to end it, according to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
Rutte made the statement while speaking at the Munich Security Conference, addressing the increasing restrictions on information access within Russia, including the blocking of Telegram and WhatsApp. He highlighted the significant casualties Russia has sustained in Ukraine.
“In December, they lost 35,000 of their own men, and in January — 30,000,” Rutte said, citing figures from Western officials indicating that more Russian soldiers were killed in Ukraine than were recruited during the same period.
Rising Russian Casualties and Domestic Impact
Rutte noted that these casualties are not concentrated in major cities like Moscow and St. Petersburg, but predicted that the impact will inevitably reach those areas as the rate of deaths continues. “But this will come soon, because at this [rate] of so many people dying in action, it’s unavoidable that it will also reach Moscow and St. Petersburg,” he said.
“I would say, ‘Do everything you can to stop this, because it is killing Russia. It is so bad for Russia’,” Rutte urged.
International Aid to Ukraine
The conference followed a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels, where a new package of $500 million in military aid to Ukraine was announced through the Prioritized Ukrainian Requirements List (PURL). This allows countries to purchase U.S. weapons for Ukraine. Over $200 million of the aid comes from Britain, earmarked for air defense missiles as Russia continues to target Ukrainian cities and energy infrastructure.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, speaking at the Munich conference, expressed gratitude for the support from the U.S. and European countries and stated Ukraine’s readiness to negotiate a peace deal.
Doubts About Russia’s Intentions
However, Zelensky also indicated that while Ukraine is willing to make concessions, there is no indication that Russia shares the same willingness. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other speakers at the conference expressed similar doubts about Russia’s desire to end the war.
Zelensky stated that Russia’s sole objective in invading Ukraine is complete occupation and that ceding the Donbas region would not lead to peace.
Long-Term Threat and Future Relations
Several attendees, including Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski, expressed pessimism about a return to normal relations with Russia under its current leadership. “Colonial wars, if you look historically, are only ended by a different team than started them,” Sikorski told The Moscow Times.
Rutte concluded by stating that while a peace deal is the immediate priority, NATO views Russia as a long-term threat to its territory.
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