Even NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, speaking at a press conference with Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković on Jan. 12, had to admit that Russia had just deployed the hypersonic Oreshnik missile over Jan. 8-9 in Lviv, Ukraine. Rutte stated: “Russia’s brutal war of aggression continues, and just last week we saw the use of the Oreshnik against Lviv, as well as continued attacks on civilian and energy infrastructure.” Rutte then went on to say, “your support, and the support of all NATO allies is more important than ever,” and other blather that did not address the real point.
On Jan. 9, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas posted to her X account: “Russia’s reported use of an Oreshnik missile is a clear escalation against Ukraine and meant as a warning to Europe and to the U.S.” Kallas that said that EU member states should “dig deeper into their air-defense stocks and deliver now,” a proposal that also doesn’t address the issue of the Oreshnik.
