Stand behind Ukrainian independent journalism when it’s needed most. Help us reach 20,000 members.

Skip to content
Edit post

Rutte tells Trump 'bad peace' in Ukraine could embolden US rivals

by Martin Fornusek December 3, 2024 9:40 AM 2 min read
NATO Defense Secretary Mark Rutte met with U.S. President-Elect Donald Trump in Florida on Nov. 23, 2024. (NATO/release)
This audio is created with AI assistance

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has told U.S. President-elect Donald Trump that Washington would face a "dire threat" from China, Iran, and North Korea if Ukraine is forced to accept an unfavorable peace deal, the Financial Times reported on Dec. 2.

China's President Xi Jinping "might get thoughts about something else in the future if there is not a good deal," Rutte told Trump in an apparent reference to Taiwan, as the NATO chief revealed in an interview with the outlet.

Rutte met the U.S. president-elect in Florida on Nov. 23 amid fears that Trump might scale down the U.S. participation in NATO and its support for Ukraine as it faces Russian aggression.

Speaking to the Financial Times, the NATO chief warned against allowing the leaders of Russia, Iran, and North Korea to celebrate a "deal which is not good for Ukraine" as that would be "a dire security threat not only to Europe but also to the U.S." in the long-term.

Tehran and Pyongyang are Moscow's key allies in its all-out war against Ukraine, providing arms and, in North Korea's case, soldiers to boost Russian forces.

Trump's return to the White House is raising concerns about the stability of Western support for Ukraine, as the president-elect pledged to get the U.S. "out" of the war and bring the conflict to a swift end.

Ukrainian officials have appealed to Trump to maintain his support and adopt a "peace through strength" approach in dealings with Russia.

The details of Trump's peace plan remain unclear, but his pick for a special peace envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, previously proposed freezing the war along the current front lines and postponing Kyiv's NATO aspirations.

Ukraine hopes to receive a NATO invitation — a step included in its five-step victory plan — during an allied ministerial summit on Dec. 3-4, but media reports suggest that there is a lack of consensus on the matter.

We see that Russian economy is in a very dire state, EU top diplomat Kallas says
With the fate of further U.S. support for Ukraine, and thereby the future of the country, up in the air as Donald Trump prepares to return to the White House, the EU wants to send the message to Kyiv that it has its back. Kaja Kallas, the EU’s new

Independent journalism needs a community —
not a paywall.

We’re working hard to show the world the truth of Russia’s brutal war — and we’re keeping it free for everyone, because reliable information should be available to all.

Our goal: reach 20,000 members to prove independent journalism can survive without paywalls, billionaires, or compromise. Will you help us do it?

Can we reach 20,000 members?

News Feed

11:51 PM

Trump 'very surprised, disappointed' at Russian attacks on Ukraine amid peace talks.

"I've gotten to see things I was very surprised at. Rockets being shot into cities like Kyiv during a negotiation that was maybe very close to ending," Trump said during a news conference in the Oval Office. "All of a sudden rockets got shot into a couple of cities and people died. I saw thing I was surprised at and I don't like being surprised, so I'm very disappointed in that way."
5:10 PM

All territory will revert to Ukraine, predicts US diplomat.

The Kyiv Independent’s Chris York sits down with Michael Carpenter, former U.S. Ambassador to OSCE and senior director for Europe at the National Security Council, to discuss the current lagging U.S. military support for Ukraine amid the ongoing ceasefire talks with Russia. Carpenter also offers his predictions for the future of Ukraine’s occupied territories.
MORE NEWS

Editors' Picks

Enter your email to subscribe
Please, enter correct email address
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Explaining Ukraine with Kate Tsurkan
* indicates required
Successfuly subscribed
Thank you for signing up for this newsletter. We’ve sent you a confirmation email.