NATO warns of threat from North Korea in message to Trump on Ukraine

Released: 07/11/2024 – 20:36Changed: 07/11/2024 – 20:34

3 min.

Trump’s resounding victory and return to the US presidency has Europe nervous that he could cut off vital Washington military aid to Ukraine.

Nato allies say keeping Kyiv in the fight against Moscow is key to European and American security, and Rutte has sought to connect Trump’s dots between the conflict and Washington’s main adversaries elsewhere.

“We see more and more that North Korea, Iran, China and of course Russia are working together, together against Ukraine,” Rutte told reporters at a meeting of European leaders in Budapest.

“At the same time, Russia has to pay for it, and one of the things they are doing is supplying technology to North Korea, which now threatens the future of the US mainland and continental Europe,” he warned.

“I look forward to meeting with Donald Trump to discuss how we can collectively confront these threats,” Rutte said.

North Korea has become one of the strongest supporters of Russia’s war with Ukraine and has been accused of recently sending troops to fight alongside Moscow’s forces.

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky told reporters in Budapest that 11,000 North Korean troops were in Russia’s western Kursk region and had already suffered “casualties.”

“North Korea is now, in fact, waging a war in Europe. North Korean soldiers are trying to kill our people on European soil,” Zelensky said.

Meanwhile, Iran is accused of supplying Russia with missiles and drones, and China is considered a key sponsor of Russia’s supply of technologies that Moscow needs to continue its fight.

Trump has alarmed US allies by questioning tens of billions of dollars in military aid that Washington has sent to Ukraine following the 2022 Russian invasion.

The mercurial former reality TV star has sparked fears he could force Kyiv to accept a peace deal on Moscow’s terms by insisting he can end the war “in 24 hours”.

– “Ukraine deserves our support” –

Keeping Ukraine’s biggest donor on board is seen by most as necessary to ensure Kyiv stays afloat, especially at a time of political uncertainty in major European powers Germany and France.

On the battlefield, weary Ukrainian troops are struggling to prevent a Russian advance as three years of full-scale combat approach.

Europe together has spent about $125 billion supporting Ukraine, while the United States alone has contributed more than $90 billion, according to a Kiel Institute tracker.

Washington has the largest stockpile of weapons and supplied many of the most effective weapons used in the war.

“Any theory that can help Trump look more favorably on Ukraine is good and worth trying,” said one senior NATO diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive topics.

Many EU leaders meeting at the Budapest summit sought to downplay the threat of Washington withdrawing its support for Ukraine and insisted Europe would continue to act no matter what.

“Ukraine deserves our support, no matter whether we are the United States or Europe, because it was attacked, brutally attacked by an aggressor country,” Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda said.

“This is not only about Ukraine. This is about a rules-based international order and we must preserve it.”

Outgoing Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said that if the United States “decides to change, that doesn’t mean we have to change.”

“The fact that US support for Ukraine continues or ceases is not true – European countries play a very decisive role in this,” he said.

© 2024 AFP