In difficult times, when European peoples need to be united more than ever, along comes Rutte, creating unnecessary divisions and even spreading misinformation.
https://www.politico.eu/article/european-favor-defense-ukraine-diplomacy-poll/
The NATO Secretary General clarified that statements regarding the perceived distance of the war in Ukraine referred to the views held by European populations, not the positions of their governments. Mark Rutte asserts that Portugal and Spain are fulfilling their necessary defense obligations.
The NATO Secretary General stated this Thursday that he was referring to the general public, rather than politicians, when he remarked that some people in Portugal and Spain consider the war in Ukraine to be distant.
Speaking to journalists upon his arrival at the European Political Community summit in Dublin, Mark Rutte stated that he has “no criticism whatsoever of Portugal or Spain,” noting that both countries are doing “exactly what is required: increasing defense spending and strengthening the production capacity of the defense industry.”
The secretary-general insisted that this perception "is not limited to Portugal and Spain," but rather "is something that is happening throughout Europe."
When asked whether he intends to meet with Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro on the sidelines of this summit to explain his position, Mark Rutte replied: “I don’t think I have anything else to explain.”
On Tuesday, in an interview with a Dutch television station, the NATO Secretary General accused Spain and Portugal of claiming that the conflict in Ukraine "is far away."
These statements were criticised by the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which expressed regret that Mark Rutte would “speak so lightly” about the matter.
Mark Rutte “has an obligation to know which countries and governments stand firmly with Ukraine and are well aware of the Russian threat,” wrote the ministry led by Paulo Rangel on the social network X.
He clarified his statement which is correct so what do you want. It’s clear that all of the people voting for Russia friendly extreme parties think the war in Ukraine doesn’ concern them
The party which was openly pro-Russia at the start of the invasion of Ukraine (PCP), saw its support drop significantly in subsequent elections. Today, it holds only about 4% of the seats in parliament. Even our far-right party in parliament (Chega) doesn't openly take positions that favour Russia in this conflict (although I suspect the leadership is likely pro-Russian, given who they associate with abroad; AfD, RN, Fidesz), as they know it would be political suicide.
Another source regarding the popularity of supporting Ukraine among the Portuguese population: https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/3613
Mark Rutte committed a gaffe, likely because he is unable to contain his prejudice toward Southern Europeans, something he had already demonstrated back when he was Prime Minister of the Netherlands.
No Rutte says what everyone thinks, someone who votes far right generally doesn’t care about Ukraine. And political parties taking a more mitigated position on this to attract voters that do care doesn’t change this. For once he didn’t say something stupid