NATO Secretary General Rutte: Putin running out of soldiers, money, ideas - ‘pressure must be intensified’

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Friday said Russian President Vladimir Putin was running out of soldiers, money and strategic ideas in his war against Ukraine, and that pressure on Moscow “must be intensified”.

He said Putin had paid an “enormous price for minimal gains” in Ukraine.

“Hundreds of thousands of Russian troops have perished in this insane war, while Ukraine continues to stand bravely and Western support remains effective,” Rutte said.

He added that, as former US President Donald Trump noted, Russian forces should be contained where they currently are. “Now is precisely the time to increase pressure on Russia to achieve a just peace for Ukraine,” Rutte said.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said since the start of the full-scale invasion, Russia had lost approximately 1,135,080 soldiers in its war against Ukraine.