In Russia’s State Duma, Rutte was called an “adept of a proxy war” against Russia

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is an “adherent of a proxy war against Russia to the last Ukrainian”.

This wrote State Duma deputy Leonid Slutsky on his Telegram channel.

He was commenting on Rutte’s remarks that, after a peace deal in Ukraine, foreign troops would appear there. Slutsky stressed that Russian representatives have repeatedly spoken about the “unacceptability of deploying foreign military contingents on Ukrainian territory,” since this would be a threat to Russia’s security and national interests “with all the ensuing conclusions and consequences.” In such a case, “Western interveners” would become “legitimate targets” for Russian forces, the deputy added.

“The Alliance’s Secretary General is acting like a real provocateur on the eve of another round of negotiations on a Ukrainian settlement in Abu Dhabi. By talking about Western military intervention in Ukraine after ‘peace agreements,’ Rutte is by no means bringing their signing closer. Rather the opposite,” the politician wrote.

On January 3, Rutte visited Kyiv and spoke in the Verkhovna Rada. In addition to his comments about foreign troops after a peace agreement, the NATO chief said that a settlement would require “difficult decisions” from Ukraine and claimed that Russia is allegedly not inclined toward real peace talks.

A new round of negotiations to settle the conflict is scheduled for February 4–5 in Abu Dhabi. Russia will be represented by the same delegation that took part in the January 23–24 meetings.

The second round of talks in the UAE capital had originally been scheduled for February 1, but it was postponed by several days after a trip to Miami by Russian President’s special representative Kirill Dmitriev.

According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, at the upcoming negotiations the sides will discuss proposals from the Russian side and possible compromises Moscow might be ready to make.