NATO sends message to Trump: war in Ukraine “threatens everyone, including the US”

Eduardo González NATO foreign ministers concluded their two-day meeting in Brussels on Wednesday, where they adopted a set of measures to counter Russia’s actions against NATO and individual allies and sent a clear message to the future Donald Trump administration in the White House: “Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine threatens us all, including the US.” During the closing press conference of the meeting, Secretary General Mark Rutte warned that “both Russia and China have tried to destabilize our countries and divide our societies with acts of sabotage, cyberattacks and energy blackmail.” For this reason, he continued, the ministers have agreed on a set of measures to counter Russia's hostile and cyber activities, including increased intelligence sharing, more exercises, better protection of critical infrastructure, better cyber defence and tougher action against Russia's "shadow fleet" of oil-exporting ships. According to Rutte, NATO "will work closely with the EU on these issues." Furthermore, the Secretary General stressed that the growing alignment of Russia, China, North Korea and Iran highlights the global nature of the threats we face, including the growing dangers of the ongoing war in Ukraine. According to Rutte, in exchange for troops and weapons, Russia is providing North Korea with support for its nuclear and missile programmes. "These developments could destabilise the Korean peninsula and even threaten the United States, so Russia's illegal war in Ukraine threatens us all," he warned. International observers have recalled that Trump and, above all, his vice president, J.D. Vance have made clear their intention to disengage from the Ukrainian conflict and to end the massive economic and military aid sent by Washington to Kyiv. In addition, the victory of the Republican candidate could lead to a certain disengagement of the US from NATO, which would reduce the political significance and operational capacity of this organization and force the European allies to raise their own level of commitment and cooperation in the field of security. Abdullah II and Ukraine During the two-day meeting, NATO Allies also met with King Abdullah II of Jordan to discuss the situation in the Middle East and the importance of NATO cooperating even more closely with its partners in the region. The Secretary General thanked the King of Jordan for his personal leadership and support for the Alliance and noted that NATO will soon open a Liaison Office in Amman to further deepen these ties. NATO ministers also met with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and Kaja Kallas, the new EU High Representative, at the NATO-Ukraine Council. They also discussed Ukraine’s most pressing needs and avenues for Allies to provide critical munitions and air defenses as Russia escalates its attacks and expands the war with the help of North Korean troops and weapons. According to Rutte, continued support for Ukraine is a priority, because it will ensure that when the time comes, Ukraine can negotiate peace from a position of strength. He also stressed that NATO is fulfilling its commitments, including through a financial pledge and the new command in Wiesbaden, NATO security assistance and training for Ukraine. “We must do more than just keep Ukraine in the fight. We must provide sufficient support to change the trajectory of this conflict once and for all,” he concluded. Albares In this regard, Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares told the press upon his arrival at the meeting that the allies must “help Ukraine win the war and win the peace,” but warned that “for Ukraine to win the peace, we all have to define what a fair peace is.” Regarding other conflicts, the minister reiterated that as long as there is no solution to the Palestinian question, as long as there is no horizon of hope for the Palestinian people with a Palestinian State and that, therefore, the two-State solution is implemented, a State of Palestine and a State of Israel that live together in mutual good neighborliness and guarantee each other prosperity and security, we will not succeed in eradicating violence in the Middle East.” He also explained that Abdullah II of Jordan had given the allies “first-hand” information on “this dramatic and critical situation in the Middle East” and the foreign ministers addressed “the serious situation in Syria” and “the hope offered to us by the ceasefire in Lebanon, which we have to consolidate, has to go beyond those 60 days.” The President of France, Emmanuel Macron, announced on Tuesday that in June 2025 he will organize, jointly with Saudi Arabia, an international conference on the creation of a Palestinian State. According to Albares, the initiative is “in line with what Spain has initiated and has started.” “That is the spirit that Spain wants, and what we see is that once again Spain is leading and is dragging other countries into this common shared vision, first Euro-Arab, to establish a framework for definitive peace that can only happen through a Palestinian State living in good neighbourhood with the State of Israel,” he added. During this second day, the ministers addressed “the challenges of the Alliance, including the increase in disinformation, and how to continue strengthening Euro-Atlantic security to protect our democracies and our citizens,” according to Albares through social networks X and Bluesky. Meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Albares also held a bilateral meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart, Andrii Sybiha, to whom he reiterated “Spain’s firm support for Ukraine in the defence of its freedom, sovereignty and territorial integrity”, as well as “on its path towards the EU”, as reported through social networks. During the meeting in Brussels, the minister announced to his counterparts a contribution from Spain of one million euros for Ukraine within the framework of a NATO programme to strengthen the military capabilities of this country, according to official sources from Foreign Affairs informed The Diplomat. This amount, they specified, will not be used for the purchase of weapons, but for other needs related to the defence of the country.

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