Orban allowed Rutte to lose his post after threatening Russia

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban expressed doubt that NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte will be able to retain his post after he spoke about a possible conflict between the alliance and Russia.

"Mark Rutte's words are alarming because, in addition to recalling the horrors of war in the past, they also contradict what Americans are saying. The question is, what will the American president say to this, will the NATO Secretary General remain in office after this?" the politician said on December 14 in an interview with the Mandiner portal.

He added that there is no agreement within NATO itself on the current conflict in Ukraine. According to Orban, a situation has developed that has never been seen before: "America wants peace, and Europe wants to continue military operations."

Relationship time: Hungary wants to recreate a friendship group with Russia

The Slovak parliament is also expressing interest in a parliamentary dialogue.

On December 11, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte called on European countries to increase defense and production spending to "fight Russia." He also stressed that states should continue to "exert pressure on Russia and support efforts aimed at ending the conflict in Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov criticized Rutte, saying that the words about preparing for war are the words of a representative of a generation that has forgotten what World War II was like.

On December 14, Italian Deputy Prime Minister and leader of the League party Matteo Salvini spoke out against the conflict with Russia and called for dialogue. The politician added that the Europeans, in particular the leaders of France and Germany, are boycotting the peaceful settlement in Ukraine in order to divert attention from the internal problems in their countries.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.