Kremlin says it does not expect NATO to change course under Rutte

Russia does not expect NATO to change course under the leadership of its new Secretary General Mark Rutte, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday, just hours after the former Dutch prime minister took over as NATO chief from Jens Stoltenberg.

Under Rutte, there will be nothing new or significant in the alliance's policy, Peskov was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies.

Russia has repeatedly claimed that it sees its security threatened by NATO. Moscow also says that one of the reasons for waging its war against Ukraine is to prevent the country from joining the Western defence alliance.

Peskov recalled that Rutte had repeatedly held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin during his time as Dutch prime minister, and said there had been hope in Moscow that good and pragmatic relations could be established.

"But then it became clear that the Netherlands had adopted a rather intransigent position, a position of complete exclusion of contacts with our country," said Peskov.