BRUSSELS, March 14. /TASS/. NATO calls for maintaining pressure on Russia for the immediate future, but does not rule out that a gradual normalization of relations with Moscow is possible "longer term," NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, during a visit to the United States, stated in an interview with Bloomberg TV.

"First of all, you have to maintain pressure on the Russians to make sure that they do everything necessary. That’s why we have sanctions and let’s not be naive about the Russians. Longer term Russia is there, Russia will not go away," he said.

"I think it is normal that when the war would have stopped, for Europe somehow, step by step and also for the US step by step to restore normal relations with Russians. But we are absolutely there yet. we have to maintain pressure on them to make sure that they are willing to engage seriously in talks with the American administration and, of course, also with the Ukrainians."

For the rest of his 13-minute interview, Rutte talked about the need to arm European countries in the face of a threat allegedly posed by Russia and China.