NATO’s new chief Mark Rutte expressed strong support for Ukraine on Tuesday and said he was not worried about the upcoming US election because he could work with the former president. donald trump or Vice President kamala harris,
Former Dutch Prime Minister Rutte took over from Jens Stoltenberg as NATO Secretary General just a few weeks ago November 5 US presidential election It pits Democrat Harris against Republican Trump, who has been highly critical of NATO.
Trump also declined to say whether he wanted Ukraine to win the war against Russian aggression.
But Rutte ignored concerns within the transatlantic alliance about the vote in NATO’s leading power, telling reporters at NATO headquarters: “I’m not worried.”
“I worked with Donald Trump for four years. He was the one pushing us to spend more (on defense), and he accomplished that — because…we are in a better place now than we were when he took office.” Are at higher spending levels.” Root said.
NATO estimates that 23 of its 32 members will meet their target of spending at least 2% of GDP on defense this year, compared with just three a decade ago.
Officials say some of this is due to Trump, but much of it was inspired by Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Rutte said Trump was also right to push NATO to focus more on China. He reiterated NATO’s claim that China has become a “decisive supporter” of Moscow’s war effort in Ukraine by supplying vital technology to Russia.
Rutte also praised Harris, saying she had a “fantastic record as vice president” and was a “highly respected leader”.
When asked about the war in Ukraine and whether Kiev is winning, he avoided a direct answer. NATO members provide the majority of arms and ammunition supplied to Ukraine.
Rutte said the situation on the battlefield was “difficult” and that Russia had made “limited” gains this year but at a great cost. He said he estimated that 1,000 Russian soldiers were being killed or wounded a day recently.
“We must ensure that Ukraine remains a sovereign, independent, democratic nation,” he said.
Signaling continuity with Stoltenberg, Rutte said he had three main priorities – ensuring NATO has the capacity to defend against any threat, supporting Ukraine and working with partners “near and far” to ensure global cooperation. Resolving challenges.
Central role
The war in Ukraine has brought NATO, founded in 1949 to prevent and defend against any attack on Western Europe by the Soviet Union, back to the center of international affairs.
While Western leaders insist that NATO is a defensive alliance, Moscow has long insisted that it poses a threat to Russia’s security.
The Kremlin said on Tuesday it did not expect any improvement in relations with NATO under Rutte.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine forced NATO to send thousands more troops to its eastern flank and radically reform its defense plans to take the possibility of an attack from Moscow more seriously than at any point since the end of the Cold War. Inspired to.
Diplomats and analysts say one of Rutte’s key tasks will be to persuade NATO members to come forward with additional troops, weapons and spending to fully realize the new defense plans.
“We have to invest more and close the capability gap and try to achieve all the goals that NATO has set here,” Rutte said.