diff --git a/mesonbuild/backend/ninjabackend.py b/mesonbuild/backend/ninjabackend.py
index 21dd87b98f35..3d6bfb90658a 100644
--- a/mesonbuild/backend/ninjabackend.py
+++ b/mesonbuild/backend/ninjabackend.py
@@ -1901,7 +1901,8 @@ def generate_rust_target(self, target: build.BuildTarget) -> None:
         args += output
         linkdirs = mesonlib.OrderedSet()
         external_deps = target.external_deps.copy()
-        for d in itertools.chain(target.link_targets, target.link_whole_targets):
+        # TODO: we likely need to use verbatim to handle name_prefix and name_suffix
+        for d in target.link_targets:
             linkdirs.add(d.subdir)
             if d.uses_rust():
                 # specify `extern CRATE_NAME=OUTPUT_FILE` for each Rust
@@ -1922,6 +1923,55 @@ def generate_rust_target(self, target: build.BuildTarget) -> None:
                 # Rust uses -l for non rust dependencies, but we still need to
                 # add dylib=foo
                 args += ['-l', f'dylib={d.name}']
+
+        # Since 1.61.0 Rust has a special modifier for whole-archive linking,
+        # before that it would treat linking two static libraries as
+        # whole-archive linking. However, to make this work we have to disable
+        # bundling, which can't be done until 1.63.0… So for 1.61–1.62 we just
+        # have to hope that the default cases of +whole-archive are sufficent.
+        # See: https://github.com/rust-lang/rust/issues/99429
+        if mesonlib.version_compare(rustc.version, '>= 1.63.0'):
+            whole_archive = ':+whole-archive,-bundle'
+        else:
+            whole_archive = ''
+
+        if mesonlib.version_compare(rustc.version, '>= 1.67.0'):
+            verbatim = ',+verbatim'
+        else:
+            verbatim = ''
+
+        for d in target.link_whole_targets:
+            linkdirs.add(d.subdir)
+            if d.uses_rust():
+                # specify `extern CRATE_NAME=OUTPUT_FILE` for each Rust
+                # dependency, so that collisions with libraries in rustc's
+                # sysroot don't cause ambiguity
+                args += ['--extern', '{}={}'.format(d.name, os.path.join(d.subdir, d.filename))]
+                project_deps.append(RustDep(d.name, self.rust_crates[d.name].order))
+            else:
+                if rustc.linker.id in {'link', 'lld-link'}:
+                    if verbatim:
+                        # If we can use the verbatim modifier, then everything is great
+                        args += ['-l', f'static{whole_archive}{verbatim}={d.get_outputs()[0]}']
+                    elif isinstance(target, build.StaticLibrary):
+                        # If we don't, for static libraries the only option is
+                        # to make a copy, since we can't pass objects in, or
+                        # directly affect the archiver. but we're not going to
+                        # do that given how quickly rustc versions go out of
+                        # support unless there's a compelling reason to do so.
+                        # This only affects 1.61–1.66
+                        mlog.warning('Due to limitations in Rustc versions 1.61–1.66 and meson library naming',
+                                     'whole-archive linking with MSVC may or may not work. Upgrade rustc to',
+                                     '>= 1.67. A best effort is being made, but likely won\'t work')
+                        args += ['-l', f'static={d.name}']
+                    else:
+                        # When doing dynamic linking (binaries and [c]dylibs),
+                        # we can instead just proxy the correct arguments to the linker
+                        for link_whole_arg in rustc.linker.get_link_whole_for([self.get_target_filename_for_linking(d)]):
+                            args += ['-C', f'link-arg={link_whole_arg}']
+                else:
+                    args += ['-l', f'static{whole_archive}={d.name}']
+                external_deps.extend(d.external_deps)
         for e in external_deps:
             for a in e.get_link_args():
                 if a.endswith(('.dll', '.so', '.dylib')):
diff --git a/test cases/rust/2 sharedlib/meson.build b/test cases/rust/2 sharedlib/meson.build
index 02b8cf74150e..295fa049740a 100644
--- a/test cases/rust/2 sharedlib/meson.build	
+++ b/test cases/rust/2 sharedlib/meson.build	
@@ -1,10 +1,11 @@
-project('rust shared library', 'rust')
+project('rust shared library', 'rust', 'c')
 
 if host_machine.system() == 'darwin'
   error('MESON_SKIP_TEST: does not work right on macos, please fix!')
 endif
 
-l = shared_library('stuff', 'stuff.rs', install : true)
+s = static_library('static', 'value.c')
+l = shared_library('stuff', 'stuff.rs', link_whole : s, install : true)
 e = executable('prog', 'prog.rs', link_with : l, install : true)
 
 if build_machine.system() == 'windows'
diff --git a/test cases/rust/2 sharedlib/stuff.rs b/test cases/rust/2 sharedlib/stuff.rs
index 8cabc62572e3..e7c0521fe2fd 100644
--- a/test cases/rust/2 sharedlib/stuff.rs	
+++ b/test cases/rust/2 sharedlib/stuff.rs	
@@ -1,3 +1,11 @@
 #![crate_name = "stuff"]
 
-pub fn explore() -> &'static str { "librarystring" }
+extern "C" {
+        fn c_value() -> i32;
+}
+
+pub fn explore() -> String {
+    unsafe {
+        format!("library{}string", c_value())
+    }
+}
diff --git a/test cases/rust/2 sharedlib/value.c b/test cases/rust/2 sharedlib/value.c
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..d17b6debe521
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test cases/rust/2 sharedlib/value.c	
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+int c_value(void) {
+    return 7;
+}
diff --git a/test cases/rust/3 staticlib/meson.build b/test cases/rust/3 staticlib/meson.build
index 6769564637b8..cf8e1032e13b 100644
--- a/test cases/rust/3 staticlib/meson.build	
+++ b/test cases/rust/3 staticlib/meson.build	
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
-project('rust static library', 'rust')
+project('rust static library', 'rust', 'c')
 
-l = static_library('stuff', 'stuff.rs', install : true)
+o = static_library('other', 'other.rs')
+v = static_library('value', 'value.c')
+l = static_library('stuff', 'stuff.rs', link_whole : [o, v], install : true)
 e = executable('prog', 'prog.rs', link_with : l, install : true)
 test('linktest', e)
diff --git a/test cases/rust/3 staticlib/other.rs b/test cases/rust/3 staticlib/other.rs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..037be33eed4a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test cases/rust/3 staticlib/other.rs	
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+pub fn explore(
+    value: i32,
+) -> String {
+    format!("library{}string", value)
+}
diff --git a/test cases/rust/3 staticlib/prog.rs b/test cases/rust/3 staticlib/prog.rs
index fbf31815910f..eee26539b363 100644
--- a/test cases/rust/3 staticlib/prog.rs	
+++ b/test cases/rust/3 staticlib/prog.rs	
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
 extern crate stuff;
 
-fn main() { println!("printing: {}", stuff::explore()); }
+fn main() {
+    println!("printing: {}", stuff::explore());
+}
diff --git a/test cases/rust/3 staticlib/stuff.rs b/test cases/rust/3 staticlib/stuff.rs
index 8cabc62572e3..7cfcdffff119 100644
--- a/test cases/rust/3 staticlib/stuff.rs	
+++ b/test cases/rust/3 staticlib/stuff.rs	
@@ -1,3 +1,14 @@
 #![crate_name = "stuff"]
 
-pub fn explore() -> &'static str { "librarystring" }
+extern crate other;
+
+extern "C" {
+    fn c_explore_value() -> i32;
+}
+
+pub fn explore(
+) -> String {
+    unsafe {
+        other::explore(c_explore_value())
+    }
+}
diff --git a/test cases/rust/3 staticlib/value.c b/test cases/rust/3 staticlib/value.c
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..b71c8060aa22
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test cases/rust/3 staticlib/value.c	
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+int
+c_explore_value (void)
+{
+    return 42;
+}
diff --git a/test cases/rust/5 polyglot static/clib.c b/test cases/rust/5 polyglot static/clib.c
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..366dbe592cb9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test cases/rust/5 polyglot static/clib.c	
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+#include <stdio.h>
+
+void hello_from_rust(void);
+
+static void hello_from_c(void) {
+    printf("Hello from C!\n");
+}
+
+void hello_from_both(void) {
+    hello_from_c();
+    hello_from_rust();
+}
diff --git a/test cases/rust/5 polyglot static/meson.build b/test cases/rust/5 polyglot static/meson.build
index b2a44dad9790..bed7977abaea 100644
--- a/test cases/rust/5 polyglot static/meson.build	
+++ b/test cases/rust/5 polyglot static/meson.build	
@@ -8,7 +8,8 @@ deps = [
 
 extra_winlibs = meson.get_compiler('c').get_id() in ['msvc', 'clang-cl'] ? ['userenv.lib', 'ws2_32.lib', 'bcrypt.lib'] : []
 
-l = static_library('stuff', 'stuff.rs', rust_crate_type : 'staticlib', install : true)
+r = static_library('stuff', 'stuff.rs', rust_crate_type : 'staticlib')
+l = static_library('clib', 'clib.c', link_with : r, install : true)
 e = executable('prog', 'prog.c',
                dependencies: deps,
                link_with : l,
diff --git a/test cases/rust/5 polyglot static/prog.c b/test cases/rust/5 polyglot static/prog.c
index dbbd8800aa5d..0a8e0d1baa4b 100644
--- a/test cases/rust/5 polyglot static/prog.c	
+++ b/test cases/rust/5 polyglot static/prog.c	
@@ -1,8 +1,7 @@
 #include <stdio.h>
 
-void f();
+void hello_from_both();
 
 int main(void) {
-    printf("Hello from C!\n");
-    f();
+    hello_from_both();
 }
diff --git a/test cases/rust/5 polyglot static/stuff.rs b/test cases/rust/5 polyglot static/stuff.rs
index ecf623c644e1..3777ae85a68e 100644
--- a/test cases/rust/5 polyglot static/stuff.rs	
+++ b/test cases/rust/5 polyglot static/stuff.rs	
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 #![crate_name = "stuff"]
 
 #[no_mangle]
-pub extern fn f() {
+pub extern "C" fn hello_from_rust() {
     println!("Hello from Rust!");
 }
diff --git a/test cases/rust/5 polyglot static/test.json b/test cases/rust/5 polyglot static/test.json
index 1d4eff4be6b2..cc0d2da7eefc 100644
--- a/test cases/rust/5 polyglot static/test.json	
+++ b/test cases/rust/5 polyglot static/test.json	
@@ -2,6 +2,6 @@
   "installed": [
     {"type": "exe", "file": "usr/bin/prog"},
     {"type": "pdb", "file": "usr/bin/prog"},
-    {"type": "file", "file": "usr/lib/libstuff.a"}
+    {"type": "file", "file": "usr/lib/libclib.a"}
   ]
 }