The United States will face a “terrible threat” from North Korea, China, and Iran if Ukraine is forced to sign a peace agreement on terms favorable to the Kremlin, according to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, The Financial Times wrote.
Mark Rutte has already warned Donald Trump, who will officially take office as US president on January 20. In an interview with the FT, Rutte urged Trump to continue military support for Ukraine and also pointed out the risks to the US in connection with the expansion of cooperation between its adversaries.
The US will face a “terrible threat” from North Korea, China, and Iran
Rutte emphasized that it is impossible to allow a situation where North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, as well as Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Iran “shake hands because we have reached an agreement that is not beneficial to Ukraine.” The NATO Secretary General warned that in the long run this would pose a serious security threat not only to Europe but also to the United States.
According to Rutte, he conveyed this message to Trump during a meeting in Florida on November 22.
The NATO Secretary General also emphasized that the fact that Iran, North Korea, China, and Russia are working closely together means that “these different parts of the world where conflicts are taking place and where politicians have to manage are increasingly connected.”
In addition, Mark Rutte noted that Xi Jinping is “watching very closely to see what comes out of this.” The Financial Times clarified that the NATO Secretary General was hinting at fears that if Russia makes significant progress in the war against Ukraine, Xi may become bolder and use force against Taiwan.
Mark Rutte says that it’s crucial now to make sure that when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy decides to start peace talks, he will have the opportunity to do so from a position of strength.
Trump’s “peace plan” for Ukraine: key points
On November 6, The Wall Street Journal reported that Donald Trump’s advisers had put forward different versions of a plan to actually freeze the front line in Ukraine. One of them envisages Ukraine’s refusal to join NATO for 20 years.
According to the newspaper, this plan provides for freezing the front line and creating an 800-mile demilitarized zone (almost 1300 km). In addition, it provides for Russia to keep control over approximately 20% of the territory of Ukraine that it has seized in the war of aggression.
The Office of the Ukrainian President has questioned the authenticity of this plan.
For its part, The Economist reported that officials in Ukraine rely on two public formulations of Donald Trump’s “peace plan.”
The Telegraph also reported that Trump’s plan might involve the deployment of European and British troops in a 1,200-kilometer buffer zone between the Russian and Ukrainian armies.
On November 24, The Guardian reported that there are people in Trump’s inner circle who can persuade him to negotiate with Ukraine on Russian ruler Vladimir Putin’s terms if Russia agrees to break off its strategic partnership with China.
Force Russia to talks vs force Russia to stop the war
According to CNN, Trump’s team is studying several options for a plan to end the war in Ukraine.
Trump officials are likely to “push for an early ceasefire to temporarily freeze the conflict while both sides negotiate,” CNN reports, citing sources familiar with the discussions.
Representatives of Donald Trump’s administration are also likely to insist that NATO and European allies shoulder the majority of the costs of supporting Ukraine.
The plans under consideration include a proposal by General Keith Kellogg, the US special envoy for Ukraine. The strategy envisages continued US military assistance to Ukraine, provided that Kyiv participates in peace talks with Russia and the US policy “to achieve a ceasefire and peaceful settlement of the war in Ukraine.”
According to this plan, if Ukraine refuses to hold peace talks, Trump could cut off military aid, and he would warn Moscow that any refusal to negotiate would lead to increased support for Kyiv. The peace talks themselves should lead to a de facto freeze in the current front line.
At the same time, Ukraine’s accession to NATO will be “postponed” for a long period of time—in this way, Russia is to be forced to the negotiating table.
On the other hand, stronger military support to inflict harsher losses on Russia and stricter economic sanctions and closing existing loopholes for evasion could help to force Russia not only to accept negotiations but to stop its colonial war.
