北约秘书长马克·鲁特周三驳斥了俄罗斯就加里宁格勒问题发出的核威胁，称莫斯科在与北约的对抗中不可能获胜。
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Wednesday dismissed Russian nuclear warnings over Kaliningrad, saying Moscow could not win a confrontation with the alliance.
在布鲁塞尔举行的欧洲新闻台国防与太空峰会上，鲁特表示北约已做好保卫自身领土的准备。
Speaking at the Euronews Defense and Space Summit in Brussels, Rutte said NATO was prepared to defend its territory.
“我们将捍卫北约的每一寸领土。这种威胁并不存在；如果真的发生什么，我们已准备好予以应对，”他说。
“We will defend every inch of NATO territory. That threat is not there, and if anything happens, we are ready to counter it,” he said.
此前有报道称，俄罗斯在信中警告北约不要试图切断加里宁格勒（该地区位于波兰和立陶宛之间）的补给通道，并表示俄罗斯准备动用包括核武器在内的所有军事力量。
His comments followed reports that Russia, in a letter, had warned NATO against any attempt to cut off Kaliningrad, its western exclave between Poland and Lithuania, saying it was prepared to use its entire arsenal, including nuclear weapons.
鲁特拒绝证实这封信的具体内容，但明确否认了俄罗斯对波罗的海国家构成迫在眉睫的核威胁的说法。
Rutte declined to confirm the contents of the reported letter but rejected the suggestion of an imminent nuclear threat to the Baltic states.
“我们是一个防御性联盟。请停止这种核威胁——这种行为毫无必要，也毫无帮助。更重要的是，必须结束乌克兰战争——这场战争是对乌克兰的无端侵略，”他说。
“We are a defensive alliance. Stop the nuclear threat. This is absolutely not called for and not helpful. And particularly stop the war in Ukraine, which is an unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine,” he said.
鲁特还指出，俄罗斯总统弗拉基米尔·普京根本无法击败北约：“大家都知道他根本不可能战胜北约。我对此并不以为然。”
Rutte also said Russian President Vladimir Putin could not defeat NATO. “Everybody knows that he can never win against NATO. I don't take this seriously.”Europe’s defense role Rutte said Russia was suffering heavy losses in Ukraine and claimed 43,000 troops were being killed or seriously wounded each month.
关于俄罗斯在乌克兰战场上的处境，鲁特表示俄罗斯正在遭受重大损失，每月约有4.3万名士兵死亡或重伤。
He said Moscow was trying to divide NATO allies and shift attention away from the battlefield.
他认为俄罗斯试图分裂北约成员国，转移人们对乌克兰战事的关注：“如果有必要，我们当然会自卫。但最重要的是，这一切的发生都是因为俄罗斯在乌克兰的战争进展不顺利；他们想让我们分心。”
“If necessary, of course we will defend ourselves. But the most important thing is this is all happening because the war is not going well for him in Ukraine. He wants to divide us. He wants us to lose attention when it comes to Ukraine,” Rutte said.
鲁特强调，欧洲必须增强自身的安全保障能力，减少对美国的依赖。
The NATO secretary general also said Europe must become more capable of handling security threats without relying so heavily on Washington.
“为什么美国人要采取行动来削弱伊朗的核能力呢？因为美国自己无法做到这一点。但未来，作为欧洲人，我们必须确保自己有能力独立完成这项任务。”他说。
“Why are the Americans doing it, taking out the Iranian nuclear capability? Because we can't. But in the future, we have to make sure that as Europeans, we can do this ourselves,” he said.
鲁特表示，随着欧洲国防开支的增加，欧洲最终应该能够承担更多的责任，同时继续让美国参与北约的各项工作。
Rutte said increased European defense spending should eventually allow the continent to assume greater responsibility while keeping the US engaged in NATO.
“不过，美国不仅在核领域，而且在常规军事领域也发挥着重要作用；而欧洲方面则应该为北约在这一地区的防务承担更多的责任。”他说。
“Still, the US being involved not only in the nuclear sense but also in the conventional sense, but the Europeans taking much, much more responsibility for the defense of this part of NATO,” he said.