NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte warned US President-elect Donald Trump of the serious threat posed by China, Iran, and North Korea if Ukraine is forced to sign a peace agreement on Russia’s terms, emphasizing that strengthening ties with these US adversaries could endanger American foreign policy, as reported by European Pravda.
Rutte urged Trump to remain in the Alliance and continue supporting Ukraine. He also raised concerns about Russia supplying missile technologies to North Korea and funding Iran, which would support terrorist groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas.
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These funds also contribute to the escalation of conflicts beyond the region. Furthermore, Rutte noted that Chinese leader Xi Jinping could change his stance on Taiwan if the situation in Ukraine is not resolved in Beijing’s favor.
Mark Rutte reiterated that any agreement between Russia, North Korea, China, and Iran, that does not benefit Ukraine, would present a serious threat to the security of both Europe and the US. He stressed the importance of ensuring that when peace talks do take place, they are approached from a position of strength for Ukraine.
According to Rutte, strategic reinforcement of Ukraine is crucial to securing better terms for the peace process and long-term stability.
“The most important thing now is to make sure that when Zelensky decides to start peace talks, he can do so from a position of strength. For me, this is the number one priority,” Rutte added.
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Earlier Kyiv Post reported that on the opening day of the NATO ministerial meeting in Brussels, Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement stating that full NATO membership is the only viable security guarantee against Russian aggression.
The statement, which also marked the 30th anniversary of the Budapest Memorandum, categorically rejected any alternative security arrangements.
“We are convinced that the only real guarantee of security for Ukraine, as well as a deterrent to further Russian aggression against Ukraine and other states, is Ukraine’s full membership in NATO,” the Ministry declared.
The Foreign Ministry criticized past security agreements, including the Budapest Memorandum, which it called a “monument to short-sightedness in strategic security decision-making.”
In that agreement, Kyiv turned physical custody of nuclear weapons within its borders over to Moscow to comply with the Non-Proliferation Treaty in exchange for a guarantee of Ukraine’s sovereignty and security assurances backed by the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Russian Federation.
US President Clinton, Russian President Yeltsin, and Ukrainian President Kravchuk after signing the Trilateral Agreement in Moscow, in January 1994. This event preceded the Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances which was signed by the US, UK, and Russia on Dec. 5, 1994. (Public domain photo by a US DoD government employee, from the William J. Clinton Presidential Library)
Earlier, President Zelensky suggested the possibility of joining NATO under partial application of Article 5, though exact details of how that would be achieved remain unclear.
In a recent Sky News interview, Zelensky proposed that a ceasefire could be achieved if NATO extends protection to territories under Kyiv’s control. This move, he suggested, could temporarily halt the war, allowing for future diplomatic efforts to reclaim Russian-occupied regions without engaging in combat.
Zelensky emphasized the urgency of bringing unoccupied Ukrainian lands under NATO’s umbrella while acknowledging that eastern areas currently under Russian control might remain outside of the remit of such a deal for now.
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