Rutte on the suspension of aid: It is in the interests of the US that Ukraine does not lose the war

The US is interested in ensuring that Ukraine does not lose the Russian-Ukrainian war, and therefore must show "some flexibility" in providing military aid. This opinion was expressed by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in an interview with Fox News.

Rutte stated that the news about the suspension of US military aid to Ukraine came as a surprise to him. After all, last week at the NATO summit, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump had a "very good discussion," focusing particularly on air defense systems.

According to Rutte, the US's desire to take care of its own weapons stocks is understandable, but "some flexibility needs to be allowed."

"In the short term, Ukraine cannot do without all the support it can get when it comes to ammunition and air defense systems," Rutte said.

The NATO Secretary General emphasized that Europe has "stepped up" and provided Ukraine with $35 billion in aid this year, but it is still impossible to do without "practical support from the United States."

"It is also in the interests of the United States that Ukraine not lose this war. And the presence of a huge Russia on the border of Europe... A safe Europe also means a safe United States. It's all completely connected," he said.

• On July 2, it became known that the Pentagon had suspended the supply of some air defense missiles and other precision-guided munitions to Ukraine due to concerns that US arsenals had become too small.