NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has called for the normalization of relations with Russia once the war in Ukraine ends, during an interview with Bloomberg.

“It is natural—if the war stops—for Europe, in some way, step by step, and also for the U.S., step by step, to restore relations with Russia,” Rutte stated. “But we are not quite there yet; we must keep the pressure on them to ensure that Russia takes the negotiations seriously,” added the NATO chief, who met with Trump in Washington yesterday.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said defense spending by member nations will be “considerably more than 2%” and that the alliance must collectively “make sure that we can defend ourselves, and at this moment we cannot defend ourselves going forward” https://t.co/8dXSPpOe5v pic.twitter.com/GbX6WEbV0S

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said defense spending by member nations will be “considerably more than 2%” and that the alliance must collectively “make sure that we can defend ourselves, and at this moment we cannot defend ourselves going forward" https://t.co/8dXSPpOe5v pic.twitter.com/GbX6WEbV0S

— Bloomberg TV (@BloombergTV) March 14, 2025

Elsewhere in the interview, Rutte emphasized that NATO will not be involved in securing a ceasefire in Ukraine. “I think it will be difficult for NATO to engage in this… but NATO may have an advisory role,” he said, referring to the alliance being built by the UK and France to send troops to Ukrainian territory.

At the same time, Rutte stressed that security guarantees for Kyiv can only be discussed after a ceasefire is established.

“Yes, I am optimistic… cautiously optimistic for this year, and I hope it could even happen sooner than expected,” he said, regarding the ongoing negotiations between the U.S., Russia, and Ukraine.

Rutte also addressed the defense spending of NATO member states, stating that it will be “significantly more than 2%” and that the Alliance must collectively “ensure that we can defend ourselves.”