Feb 13, 2026, 4:43 p.mFeb 13, 2026, 4:43 p.m
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has compared the pace of Russia’s advance in Ukraine to that of a garden snail.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte speaks at the Munich Security Conference.Image: keystone
“This so-called Russian bear does not exist,” he said at the Munich Security Conference. “The bottom line is that it hardly moves faster than a garden snail.”
Rutte also referred to the enormous losses suffered by the Russian armed forces in the war of aggression. 35,000 Russian soldiers died in December alone, and 30,000 in January. «These are the facts. That’s why we have to keep Ukraine strong, because we see that it makes the best use of our support,” he said. He wanted to make it clear at the Munich Security Conference that the Russians would not win, as some people thought. (hkl/sda/dpa)