NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte wants to discuss with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump a joint response to the mounting threat from Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea, he said on Nov. 7.
Pyongyang and Tehran have become Russia's key allies in its full-scale war against Ukraine, providing ammunition and missiles for Moscow's forces. China claimed neutrality in the war but backed Moscow in the face of Western sanctions, becoming its leading source of dual-use goods feeding the Russian defense industry.
North Korea has also dispatched around 12,000 troops to join the war against Ukraine, which Rutte described as a risk not only to Europe but also to the U.S.
"Russia is delivering the latest technology into North Korea in return for North Korean help with the war against Ukraine," he said.
"We have to work together. So I look forward to sitting down with Donald Trump to discuss how we can face these threats collectively, what we need to do."
Talking to reporters ahead of the meeting with European leaders in Budapest, Rutte backed Trump's earlier attempts to get NATO countries to spend more on defense, beyond the current 2% of GDP target.
Trump has repeatedly lambasted European NATO members for not investing enough in their defense capabilities and instead relying on the U.S., saying that he would encourage Moscow to do "whatever the hell they want" to the alliance members failing to meet the required spending.
Speaking about support for Ukraine under Trump's presidency, Rutte said that Russia's victory in the war may put Europe, Japan, South Korea, and the U.S. at risk.
Rutte said he believes that President Volodymyr Zelensky is capable of building relations with Trump.
Zelensky congratulated Trump on his victory in the U.S. presidential election, voicing hopes for "strong bipartisan support for Ukraine in the United States." The two also had a follow-up phone call, agreeing to strengthen cooperation, Ukraine's president said.
Chris York
