NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte accused China, North Korea and Iran of helping sustain Russia’s war against Ukraine, while stressing that Allied support for Kyiv remains a priority. He made the remarks during a press conference ahead of the Meeting of NATO Defence Ministers in Brussels.

According to Rutte, Moscow continues to receive critical support from a group of countries that are closely coordinating their efforts despite international sanctions and pressure.

“Of course we know already that Russia is not alone, that they get vital support from North Korea, from China, from Iran, that these four countries are closely working together and that there are mutual agreements, maybe not always legally on paper, but who is doing what for the other and what you get in return,” Rutte said.

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The NATO chief pointed in particular to military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang, arguing that both sides benefit from the partnership.

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Rutte also accused Beijing of assisting Moscow in circumventing Western restrictions and providing goods that can be used for both civilian and military purposes.

“When it comes to China, what we know, of course, is the sanctions circumvention, the dual-use goods, et cetera. We are not naive. We follow everything exactly,” he added.

At the same time, the Secretary General emphasized that continued support for Ukraine remains one of NATO’s main priorities as Russia’s full-scale invasion enters its fifth year.

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In related reports, Rutte also said that NATO and Moldova are working “very closely” on Cyber Defence and Security Cooperation.

… More broadly, we are really working together, not only as NATO and Moldova, but also Moldova with Ukraine, Moldova with individual allies,” he said.

Rutte noted that the aim of such cooperation is to strengthen resilience and security, while maintaining operational discretion.

“Obviously, we don’t want to make our adversaries too much informed on what we exactly are doing,” he said.

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