Rutte: Russia lost 65 thousand soldiers in two months

According to Rutte, Russian forces have lost about 65 thousand soldiers during December and January alone.

He added that territorial advances in the Donnetsk region and in other areas are minimal and almost insignificant compared to high human cost.

If there's a dictator in Moscow willing to do this, then we're dealing with someone who's willing to sacrifice so much of his men in this war. We have to take this seriously, because this is crazy behavior”, he said, reports Telegrafi, broadcast Periscope.

Rutte also criticised Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to send back a historian as a representative to the upcoming talks in Geneva, saying he is expected “is holding Ukrainian lectures for Sweden or any other” instead of focusing on concrete progress towards resolving the conflict.

The NATO leader's statements come at a moment when fighting east of Ukraine remains intense, as the Western alliance continues to stress support for Kiev and the need for increased pressure on Moscow. /Periscope/