NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, in an exclusive interview with Hadley Gamble, chief anchor of IMI, touched on several hot topics, ranging from the repercussions of the war in Ukraine on the Russian interior, through coordination with Gulf partners, to the tension between Turkey and Israel and the role of Damascus in the equation.

Putin's Grip

Gamble opened the dialogue by asking Rutte about the strength of Russian President Vladimir Putin's grip on power. Rutte replied: "It's hard for me to say exactly what that means for his grip on power, I must admit," but added: "But what we know is that the economy, as you say, is in trouble."

He pointed out that Ukrainians 'are very successful in reaching deep into Russian territory,' targeting energy infrastructure and defense industries.

He directly linked that to what Gamble described as field scenes, saying: 'Exactly as you just mentioned, you now literally see portable toilets being installed next to gas stations, because people have to spend the whole night in their cars.'

Rutte continued: 'This has an impact on the economy,' adding that Putin 'is losing about 30,000 of his men, most of them young,' and that he is 'willing to sacrifice these young men.' He concluded this point with a human tone, saying: 'And this is of course a terrible story for their families, and it is very sad what is happening.'

From the NATO summit in Ankara, in a special interview with Hadley Gamble for the Al-Haqiqa program, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte speaks about a war that has entered its fifth year: Ukrainian successes in targeting deep inside Russia, energy infrastructure under fire, and an economy beginning to show its strain in the details of Russians' daily life. #ontherecord pic.twitter.com/jMLsWqEccN

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Gamble moved to another file, asking Rutte about the moment NATO could intervene to support its partners in the Gulf in the face of Iranian threats.

Rutte replied: 'Of course we are in close contact. I held a meeting yesterday with four Gulf partners who are members of the Istanbul Group,' specifying that the meeting included Qatar, Bahrain, the UAE, and Kuwait, describing it as 'a very good meeting.'

He explained that the parties 'work together closely to see where NATO can be useful,' adding: 'Obviously that falls outside NATO territory,' and that any real intervention remains conditional on a political decision, affirming: 'Always ready to help, but that must be a decision.'

From the NATO summit in Ankara, in a special interview with Hadley Gamble for the Al-Haqiqa program, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte speaks about NATO's role in Gulf security: a meeting with the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar within the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative, and a constant readiness to help the alliance's friends in the Gulf. #ontherecord pic.twitter.com/TY6vslqyrt

— Sky News Arabia (@skynewsarabia) July 8, 2026

Regarding the escalating tension between Turkey and Israel, and the question of whether a potential conflict involving Syria could trigger Article 5 of the collective defense treaty, Rutte did not answer directly, merely saying: 'President Erdogan is a very wise leader,' adding: 'I completely agree with what President Trump also said about Erdogan, that he is a wise leader.'

When Gamble directly asked if he thought Erdogan might be 'lured' into a confrontation, Rutte replied: 'He will avoid getting into a situation that spirals out of control,' considering that this is 'exactly the role Turkey can play,' citing its hosting of what he called 'a brilliant summit,' and its status as a 'very important ally' within the alliance.

He added that Turkey is 'the reference when it comes to finding ways to reach an agreement,' thanks to Erdogan's status and his foreign minister and his entire team.

Refusing to Speculate on Netanyahu

At the end of the interview, Gamble wondered: 'What if Mr. Netanyahu makes confrontation inevitable?' Rutte replied: 'Don't make me speculate on that,' adding: 'We should not forget what happened on October 7, 2023, that horrific attack by Hamas on Israel.'

He continued: 'So it didn't start from Israel, but obviously...' before cutting himself off and repeating: 'No, let me not speculate on what might happen in the next steps.'