New NATO command in Wiesbaden will coordinate security assistance to Ukraine – Rutte

Rutte said this at a joint press conference with Polish President Andrzej Duda in Warsaw on Wednesday, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

“Today we discussed how to strengthen our support for Ukraine, and fulfil the commitments Allies made at the Washington Summit in July. This includes our financial pledge of 40 billion euros of military support in 2024. And also the new NATO Command in Wiesbaden, which will coordinate security assistance and training. Allies, at this moment, including Poland, are working hard to ensure that this command becomes fully operational as soon as possible, which will be crucial to strengthening Ukraine’s defenses, now and for the long term,” Rutte said.

He recalled that Poland is a key security provider for the Alliance and a steadfast supporter of Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression.

“I want to thank you for being also a leading supporter of Ukraine. You were one of the first Allies to provide military aid. And since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Poland has welcomed over a million Ukrainian refugees and committed 4 billion euros in military aid. You host the NATO-Ukraine Joint Analysis, Training, and Education Center. And I would like to personally thank you, for your leadership and steadfast support in these efforts,” Rutte said.

According to him, the war in Ukraine proves that common security has a truly global dimension.

“I was especially interested to hear about your recent visit to South Korea and your meeting with President Yoon. Putin’s increasing reliance on Beijing, Pyongyang and Tehran shows that our security is not regional, it is global. So we must step up our collaboration with our Indo-Pacific partners. Including South Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand,” Rutte said.