NATO secretary general says it would be "normal" to restore relations with Russia after war

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has stated that relations with Russia should ultimately be normalised once the fighting in Ukraine comes to an end.

Rutte believes that it would be "normal" to, "step by step, …restore normal relations with Russia" after the war.

"But we are absolutely not there yet, we have to maintain the pressure on them to guarantee that Russia takes the negotiations seriously," he said in an interview with Bloomberg.

Rutte emphasised that pressure must continue on Russia to make sure they are willing to seriously engage in talks with the US administration and with the Ukrainians.

On 13 March, Rutte visited US President Donald Trump. The meeting took place immediately after Russian ruler Vladimir Putin made remarks about the 30-day ceasefire.

During the meeting with Trump, Rutte stated that NATO members were lagging behind Russia and China in arms production, while the US president boasted that his coming to power made NATO "much stronger".