Russian lawmaker: "Rutte is nobody within NATO's military hierarchy"

Russian State Duma deputy Leonid Ivlev accused NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte of overstepping his authority by proposing the deployment of foreign troops in Ukraine, warning that such actions disregard the UN Charter.

Ivlev stressed that only the UN Security Council has the mandate to authorise peacekeeping operations, including troop composition, timelines, and funding, and that unauthorised operations could be considered an intervention against Russia, threatening regional peace and security, Caliber.Az reports via Russian media.

“The NATO chief, puffed up on the banks of the Dnieper, completely ignores the UN Charter, which grants only the UN Security Council the authority to establish and lead peacekeeping operations, determine troop composition, set operation timelines, and manage funding,” Ivlev emphasised.

The Russian lawmaker added that Rutte is spinning grandiose and misleading tales to Ukrainian deputies, creating confusion and escalating tensions.

He warned that peacekeeping operations not sanctioned by the UN could be considered “an intervention against Russia, threatening peace and security,” and would not receive UN support.

“He [Rutte] is a nobody within NATO's military hierarchy; he has no authority to command troops,” Ivlev noted.

Russia has repeatedly warned the West that any foreign military contingents deployed in Ukraine will be treated as legitimate targets by Moscow. On December 17, 2025, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov reaffirmed Moscow’s firm position on the matter. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also stressed that ensuring Ukraine’s security through "foreign military intervention in some part of Ukrainian territory" would be unacceptable to Russia.

By Jeyhun Aghazada