PARIS — NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has urged Western nations to bolster their assistance to Ukraine in order to shift the momentum of the ongoing conflict with Russia.
In anticipation of a meeting on Tuesday with French President Emmanuel Macron, Rutte expressed the need for more substantial actions, stating, “We must do more than just keep Ukraine in the fight.” He emphasized the importance of imposing higher costs on Russian President Vladimir Putin and his authoritarian collaborators by equipping Ukraine with the necessary resources to alter the course of the war.
Rutte did not specify the exact types of military equipment or weapons required to achieve this aim. Nevertheless, he highlighted the worrying trend of Russia strengthening its ties with allies such as China, Iran, and North Korea.
His remarks coincide with claims from the U.S., South Korea, and Ukraine regarding North Korea’s deployment of thousands of troops to Russia in support of its military operations against Ukraine. “Russia, in alliance with North Korea, Iran, and China, poses a threat not only to Europe but also to the Indo-Pacific region and North America. Therefore, it is crucial that we present a united front,” Rutte remarked.
Meanwhile, Macron reaffirmed his vision for a “strong Europe” as crucial not only for NATO’s effectiveness but also as a strategic response to expectations from the U.S. administration, implicitly referring to the potential return of Donald Trump to the presidency.
During his previous term, Trump urged European NATO members to increase their defense spending to at least 2% of their gross domestic product and to reduce their dependence on U.S. military forces. Macron stated, “For too long, Europe has shunned the responsibility of its own security, under the illusion that it could indefinitely reap the benefits of peace without contributing to it.”
