Slutsky: Rutte can’t sleep because of his conscience, not because of Russia

State Duma deputy Leonid Slutsky has commented on NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte’s statement that thoughts about Russia keep him from sleeping soundly and that Moscow is the alliance’s main long-term threat.

In Slutsky’s view, Rutte’s reaction is “entirely natural,” but the reason for the secretary general’s insomnia is not Russia.

“In reality, in such cases it is usually… one’s conscience that keeps you awake. For the destroyed European security system, for creating the risks of a global conflict, for the millions of victims sacrificed on the altar of NATO’s ‘war Moloch.’ And in order to sleep soundly, it is time to acknowledge one’s own mistakes, take responsibility for the crisis on the continent, and return to Russia’s proposals of December 2021 on global security guarantees,” — the deputy wrote in his Telegram channel.

Rutte’s promise to maintain pressure on Russia was interpreted by Slutsky as a bid for “the continuation of a proxy war with the prospect of escalating into a global confrontation.” According to him, NATO politicians have no need for “a stable and lasting peace” and have still not grasped the root causes of the Ukrainian conflict, which was provoked by “the ideologues of Western hegemony.”

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova also responded to Rutte’s words with irony, saying she had assumed the only thing that could keep the secretary general from sleeping was a woman.

Rutte himself, in an interview with the Financial Times, said the alliance must support Ukraine in order to strengthen its position ahead of negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv. In an interview with the Turkish agency Anadolu, he also said that the United States, as part of the concept of renewing NATO — “NATO 3.0” — would transfer more responsibility to EU countries on the European front and on Ukraine.