Rutte: We have all options to respond to hybrid attacks

by Alimat Aliyeva

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Monday that the alliance has "all the response options we need" for Russia's hybrid attacks, noting that not all reactions will be disclosed.

He also stressed that the response will not always be "tit for tat" and that supporting Ukraine also strengthens NATO against Russia.

"Putin knows very well that he will not be able to divide us," Rutte said. He repeated that NATO's reaction to Russia's attacks will "always be more support for Ukraine." Turning to spending targets, he defended the alliance's increase from 3.5% to 5%, arguing that it will require both traditional defense elements and new technologies, including drones and artificial intelligence.