NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte received a rare public “scolding” from Richard Grenell, who served as a special envoy during former President Donald Trump’s administration, at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
During a discussion titled “Ukrainian Breakfast in Davos,” Grenell, speaking via video link from California, warned the NATO Secretary General that he would face a “big chainsaw” in the United States if he continued to speak about Ukraine’s NATO membership.
Grenell also criticized the Netherlands, Rutte’s home country, where he served as a longtime Prime Minister, for its low defense spending.
Following Grenell’s remarks, Rutte did not respond to the criticisms, remaining silent after the sharp comments from the American side, which were far from pleasant.
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According to Večernji List, before Grenell took the floor, the NATO Secretary General had stated from the stage that allies should now focus on “putting Ukraine in the best possible position” for the peace negotiations that are to commence.
“When those peace talks conclude, the peace achieved should be sustainable and never questioned by Russia,” Rutte added.
“Obviously, full NATO membership then becomes the simplest outcome,” he continued.
Both Rutte and his predecessor, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, have frequently commented on Ukraine’s eventual NATO membership, asserting it as a certainty.
However, Trump’s special envoy, Richard Grenell, did not hesitate to publicly reprimand Rutte for such remarks.
“You will face a big chainsaw in America if we have a NATO Secretary General talking about adding Ukraine to NATO,” Grenell declared, continuing his sharp criticism:
“American citizens are the ones paying for defense, and you cannot ask American citizens to expand NATO’s umbrella when existing allied nations aren’t paying their fair share. That includes the Dutch, who need to do more. When we have leaders advocating for more war, we need to ensure those leaders are spending the right amount of money.
We must be able to avoid war, which of course involves NATO’s credible deterrence—NATO must absolutely be ready—but we need diplomats who can avoid war. American citizens are frustrated; that’s my core message.”
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Izvor: B92, Foto: Tanjug