site.btaNATO Agrees on New Initiative for Standardization of Armaments, Secretary General Mark Rutte Says

NATO Defence Ministers have agreed on a new NATO initiative on standardization of armaments at their two-day meeting in Brussels, alliance Secretary General Mark Rutte told a news conference at the pact's headquarters on Friday. 

"Standards are critical to our ability to fight together, and more robust standards will help reduce defence costs. As part of this initiative, we will be speeding up the development of NATO standards, enhancing their implementation rate, and expanding their scope to include new innovative military capabilities. Strengthening our deterrence and defence is this Alliance’s top priority," Rutte said. 

He said that since the war in Ukraine had began, there have been several cases of violations of the alliance's airspace, including the one in Romania on Thursday.

"Russia remains the most significant and direct threat to the security of the Allies. And Putin is resorting to increasingly irresponsible rhetoric," Rutte noted.

Responding to a question, Rutte noted that hybrid interference is seen with all allies, including Moldova. "And Russia clearly has a goal here, which is to somehow derail Moldova's pro-European trajectory, and we are helping them in every way we can, in building their defense capabilities, helping them in countering disinformation campaigns and everything else, to make sure that they are as strong as possible to counter this, and that free elections can take place, and that Moldova can develop as a free society," he said. 

Answering another question about Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Victory Plan, Rutte said that that the main focus on the discussion this week was to get massive military aid into Ukraine, so the Plan had not been discussed in depth yet as it had come about too recently.

"At this moment, our official position is that we cannot confirm reports that North Koreans are actively now as soldiers engaged in the war effort. But this, of course, might change. And anyway, even if North Korea is not physically there at the battlefield, then still they are helping to fuel Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine in every way they can," Rutte said regarding a statement by Zelenskyy at a press conference in Brussels on Thursday saying that there were reports of 10,000 North Koreans being prepared for the Ukrainian front.