NATO’s Rutte calls for more Western support for Ukraine and warns against Russian alliances

PARIS – NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has called on Western allies to provide Ukraine with further support “to change the trajectory of the conflict” with Russia.

Rutte said ahead of a meeting Tuesday in Paris with French President Emmanuel Macron: “We must do more than just keep Ukraine in the fight.”

He added: “We must raise the costs for Putin and his authoritarian friends by giving Ukraine the support it needs to change the trajectory of the conflict.”

Rutte, who did not provide details on the military equipment and weapons needed, said it was “very worrying” that Russia was getting “closer to its allies, China, Iran and North Korea.”

The comments come as the US, South Korea and Ukraine say North Korea has sent thousands of troops to Russia to support its war against Ukraine.

“Russia, working with North Korea, Iran and China, threatens not only Europe… but also the Indo-Pacific and North America. So we must stand together,” Rutte said.

Macron reiterated his call for a “strong Europe” as a key element for NATO, but also in response to “what the US government rightly expects” in an apparent reference to the election of Donald Trump for a second term.

During his first visit to the White House, Trump urged Europe’s NATO allies to spend more on defense, up to 2% of gross domestic product, and to rely less on U.S. military cover.

“Europe has for too long avoided bearing the burden of its own security, believing that in a sense it could receive the fruits of peace without any time limits,” Macron said.