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Rutte said that NATO faces a “grave threat from China, Iran, and North Korea if Ukraine is forced to sign a peace deal.
The head of NATO said deepening alliances between U.S. adversaries puts America at risk and called on Trump to ensure the U.S. remains a member of the alliance and continues to support Ukraine. Rutte spoke with the president-elect about the risks of Russia providing missile technology to North Korea and financially supporting Iran.
“Priority number one”
“Iran receives money from Russia in exchange for, for example, missiles, but also drone technology. And that money is used to support Hezbollah and Hamas, but also to steer the conflict beyond the region,” the NATO secretary general told the Financial Times. Rutte also noted that Chinese leader Xi Jinping “might think about something else in the future if there is no good deal [for Ukraine],” suggesting Beijing could use force against Taiwan.
“We cannot allow a situation where Kim Jong-un, the Russian leader, and Xi Jinping and Iran high-five each other because we have adopted an agreement that is not good for Ukraine, because in the long term it will be a serious security threat not only for Europe but also for the United States,” Rutte said.
The NATO chief also pointed to the need to strengthen the Ukrainian military ahead of potential peace talks.
“The most important thing now is to make sure that whenever Zelensky decides to go to peace talks, he can do so from a position of strength. That is my number one priority right now,” said Rutte.
Rutte and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump met on Friday, Nov. 22, to discuss various global security issues.
Trump ran on a campaign vowing to end the war in Ukraine quickly and has routinely criticized the fact that tens of billions of taxpayer money has gone to Ukraine with little oversight. He has also criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, calling him “the greatest salesman on Earth” for his ability to extract money from Western taxpayers and governments.
