Rutte for ARTE: Russia is the next threat and EU is already in danger
Russia spends around 40% of state budget on defense and about 10% of national income on military. It has developed missiles capable of reaching the EU within 5–10 minutes
There is no “safe” Europe anymore 1/
Rutte: Peace is hard to predict because Russia is unpredictable
Security guarantees must ensure that after any peace deal or long-term ceasefire, Ukraine stays strong and Russia cannot attack again
If Russia gains control over Ukraine even 5% defense spending won’t be enough 2/
Rutte on Ukraine’s defense: First, strong Ukrainian armed forces. Second, an EU-led coalition of the willing.
NATO is already deeply involved. We coordinate weapons deliveries, training and lessons learned from the war through NATO–Ukraine structures and coordination hubs. 3/
Trump should call Putin’s bluff now. Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Steven Henriques write in TIME arguing that Trump is overestimating Putin - his ability to wage war, his economic stability, and the “cards he holds.” 1/
Henry Kissinger once wrote: “A bluff taken seriously is more useful than a serious threat interpreted as a bluff.” This insight fits Russia today. Putin projects strength, but the fundamentals behind that image are eroding fast. 2/
Trump’s reaction to the Ukraine peace proposal revealed how deep the deadlock remains. Territorial concessions, control of Donbas, security guarantees, and limits on Ukraine’s army still block any realistic path to peace. 3/
“I helped. I set up the position, dug, handed ammunition. I wanted to live.
Russians wouldn’t sort out who’s theirs and who’s not. There’s an order not to take prisoners” — Danylo, Russian POW, who stayed in Ukrainian trench for almost two months. 1/
Danylo: I was captured while moving to a position. My partner was with me. He ran for cover. While he was running, two bursts of automatic fire went off. My partner was dead.
Then one of Ukrainian soldiers ran out. I raised my hands, threw away my rifle and surrendered. 2/
Danylo: I served as an anti-tank unit commander and received two awards for a deployment to Karabakh.
Then I struck an officer, and was sent to Novocherkassk — a criminal case was opened. The case was dropped, and I was sent to Donetsk. From there I was sent to the Rusyn Yar. 3/
John Bolton: The West is losing Ukraine without losing a single battle.
EU paralysis and Trump’s diplomacy are shifting the war in Moscow’s favor — without Russia changing its goals. Ukrainian sovereignty and NATO unity are now at stake, he writes for WP. 1/
EU summit failed to agree on using €210bn in frozen Russian state assets as collateral for a reparations loan to Ukraine.
Belgium, backed quietly by others, blocked the plan over legal and financial risks. 2/
Instead, the EU approved a €90bn loan—less than half the original proposal. Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic opted out.
The money covers short-term budget support, not Ukraine’s defense or reconstruction. 3/
“The best thing Russians can do against Russia’s dictatorship is to fight on Ukraine’s side,” says Pyotr Ruzavin, a Russian journalist who joined Ukraine’s military in 2024. — Suspilne 1/
Ruzavin serves in Khartiia, a National Guard unit, working in UAV operations. He was wounded during service, recovered, and returned to his unit within a month. 2/
He has lived in Ukraine since 2017. Before the war, he worked for Russian independent outlets including Dozhd, Mediazona, and Important Stories. 3/