Russia’s growing economic and military cooperation with China, North Korea and Iran threatens Europe, the Indo-Pacific region and North America, NATO Secretary General Mr. .Mark Rutte.
Rutte, in what appears to be a message to the next US administration, as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office, stressed the importance of transatlantic unity and continued support for Ukraine in its war against Russia.
Speaking ahead of talks with French President Emmanuel Macron, Rutte highlighted what he saw as the dangers posed by North Korea and Iran’s military assistance to Russia.
“At the same time, China supports Russia’s economy, enables its defense industry and amplifies its rhetoric across the world stage,” Rutte said.
“Russia working with North Korea, Iran and China does not only threaten Europe, it threatens peace and security, yes, here in Europe, but also in the Indo-Pacific and America from the North.
Mr. Trump criticized the scale of Western aid to kyiv and said he would quickly end the conflict in Ukraine, without specifying how. His victory in the U.S. presidential election sparked concerns in kyiv and other European capitals about the degree of future U.S. commitment to helping Ukraine.
Russia is advancing at its fastest pace since 2022, despite heavy losses, and Ukraine said last week it had clashed with some of the roughly 11,000 North Korean troops deployed in Russia’s Kursk region.
SUPPORT FOR UKRAINE
kyiv is now striving to put itself in the strongest position for possible negotiations, including acquiring more weapons and resisting on the battlefield. A senior Ukrainian official told Reuters the next four or five months would be decisive.
“We must recommit to staying the course of the war and we must do more than keep Ukraine in the fight,” Rutte said.
“We must increase the cost to (Russian President Vladimir) Putin and his authoritarian threats by providing Ukraine with the support it needs to change the trajectory of the conflict.
Mr Macron said he would continue to push for aid to be sent to Ukraine for as long as necessary.
“This is the only way to reach negotiations and I want to be clear, when the time comes, nothing should be decided on Ukraine without Ukrainians and on Europe without Europeans,” he said .
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