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BRUSSELS: NATO chief Mark Rutte urged \u201ccalm\u201d Tuesday over Russia\u2019s campaign of sabotage in Europe, saying it was failing to undercut support for Ukraine.<\/p>\n
Estonia earlier Tuesday became the latest country to officially blame Russia for such an incident, saying Moscow\u2019s \u201cspecial services\u201d had ordered an arson attack on a defence firm in August.<\/p>\n
\u201cRussia continues its reckless campaign of hostile actions against NATO allies. It is trying to weaken our resolve and stop our support for Ukraine. But Russia is failing. It is failing on the battlefield in Ukraine and it is failing to undermine our unity and support for Ukraine,\u201d Rutte told journalists.<\/p>\n
European governments say Moscow is stepping up a campaign of sabotage and interference against Ukraine\u2019s backers as the Kremlin\u2019s troops struggle on the front line there, more than four years after their February 2022 invasion.<\/p>\n
The Estonian incident came just after the discovery of an explosive-laden drone at an airport in Russia that Berlin pinned on Moscow.<\/p>\n
Rutte admitted that Russia\u2019s activities \u201ccan have an impact — and sometimes they have an impact, clearly.\u201d<\/p>\n
But he urged NATO countries to remain \u201ccalm, carry on and support Ukraine.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe should not be naive… about Russia, but they know we are stronger,\u201d Rutte said.<\/p>\n
Speaking alongside the NATO chief, Lithuania\u2019s Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevicius said intelligence services had no proof Moscow was imminently prepping for something bigger.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a must to say if a threat is there for society, but you can\u2019t exaggerate and say something is happening in the upcoming months or weeks,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe risk remains, but it\u2019s not fluctuating…, not increasing or decreasing.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n