NATO Chief Calls Russian Train Strike Near Poland a Sign of Putin's Desperation

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said on Monday that Russian drone strikes near the Ukraine-Poland border, including one that hit a train shortly after senior officials had passed through the same station, demonstrate Moscow's growing recklessness and will push the alliance to step up its backing for Kyiv.

Speaking at NATO's political headquarters in Brussels, Rutte described the strikes as evidence of Russian President Vladimir Putin's "desperation and also his desire to sow fear and terror." He said Russia is "growing increasingly reckless as it continues its terrible war against Ukraine," pointing to what he called a deliberate targeting of infrastructure on which Ukraine depends.

Rutte said the attacks close to NATO territory were part of a wider pattern of escalation, referencing recent hybrid incidents in Leipzig and elsewhere. He declined to discuss intelligence matters but said the strikes on trains near the alliance's border underscored Putin's intent to intimidate.

The NATO chief rejected any suggestion that such attacks could weaken Western resolve. "He thinks that he can stop us from supporting Ukraine and that he can undermine our unity. He is wrong," Rutte said of Putin. He pledged to increase support for Ukraine so it can defend itself, and to bolster the 32-nation alliance's own defences along its long eastern border with Russia.

Rutte also cited the human cost of the war for Moscow, saying Russia has suffered over 40,000 casualties per month. Sunday's strikes near the Polish border are the latest in a series of incidents that officials say point to a deliberate pattern of escalation by Putin as Moscow tests NATO's response while pressing its offensive in Ukraine.

Rutte made the remarks alongside Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa during a press conference in Brussels.