NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is incompetent. That is what Russia’s President Vladimir Putin claims in a televised year-end summary.
– What nonsense is he spouting now? he wonders.

It was on December 11 this year that Mark Rutte delivered a fiery speech during a visit to Germany. He quoted Reagan and referred to Russia as the “empire of evil,” mocked the Russian president, claimed that he has a “distorted view of history and the world,” and that Putin, mistakenly, believes that the Western powers “want to destroy Russia.”

– Putin pays for his pride with the blood of his own people. And if he is willing to sacrifice ordinary Russians in this way, what is he then prepared to do to us? the NATO chief asks rhetorically.

A New World War

Mark Rutte then urges Europeans to prepare for war against Russia. A war of a magnitude reminiscent of the World Wars of the 20th century.

– We are Russia’s next target! he says on stage in Berlin.

– Russia has brought war back to Europe. We must be prepared for war of the kind our grandparents once had to endure.

– Imagine that: A conflict that reaches every home and every workplace. Devastation, mass mobilization, millions fleeing, widespread suffering, and enormous losses. It is a terrifying thought, but if we fulfill our commitments, this is a tragedy we can prevent.

– NATO is here to protect one billion people, on both sides of the Atlantic. Our mission is to protect you, your family, your friends, and your future!

“What nonsense is that”

On Friday night this past week, the Russian president responded to Mark Rutte’s statements in a televised “year-end summary with Vladimir Putin.”

– What nonsense is he spouting now? I just want to ask him: What is it you are saying about a war against Russia? “We must prepare for war against Russia.” So they want to prepare for a war against Russia? he exclaims during the broadcast.

The Russian president then points to the U.S.’s new national security strategy published in November. According to this strategy, the U.S. government seeks to “recreate conditions for strategic stability across the Eurasian landmass and mitigate the risks of conflict between Russia and European states.”

– The U.S.’s new national security strategy does not mention Russia as an enemy or a target. Yet the NATO Secretary General is preparing for war against us. How does that make sense? Can you even read? How can NATO prepare for war against Russia, if the alliance’s leading power does not view us as an opponent or enemy? says Vladimir Putin and asserts:

– It seems that the professional competence of that position is inadequate.

See British Sky News video from the press conference: