Mark Rutte, NATO’s Secretary-General, has warned US President-elect Donald Trump that forcing Ukraine into a weak peace agreement with Russia could create a “dire threat” from global adversaries like China, Iran, and North Korea, The Telegraph reported.
Rutte, speaking to The Financial Times, emphasized that a peace deal that fails to adequately support Ukraine would have serious implications not just for Europe, but for global security as well. He argued that such a deal would embolden authoritarian regimes, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, and Iranian authorities. Rutte pointed out that these countries have been cooperating closely, especially in military and economic areas, and that a weak peace agreement would offer them an opportunity to capitalize on the situation.
“We cannot have a situation where we have Kim Jong-un and the Russian leader and Xi Jinping and Iran high-fiving because we came to a deal which is not good for Ukraine,” Rutte said.
He continued, stating that such a scenario would lead to an increased security threat to both Europe and the United States. Rutte’s remarks followed a meeting on 23 November between Trump and his foreign policy team, during which these concerns were discussed.
Ukraine won’t accept anything less than NATO membership after failed Budapest Memorandum
On 2 December, UK PM Starmer acknowledged for the first time that the Russo-Ukrainian war would likely end in a negotiated settlement, hours after US President Joe Biden authorized a new military aid package for Ukraine. Meanwhile, Trump’s aides maintain that the conflict is primarily a European issue and advocate a focus on China and Iran for US foreign policy.
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