
As US President Donald Trump seeks to reach a 'deal' to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Europe is feeling the heat. With Trump seeking to end the war quickly, anxiety grows in Europe as the conflict may end on terms that are unfavourable to Ukraine. Flagging the same issue, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte on Thursday warned that a Russian victory over Ukraine will be seen as a development undermining the dissuasive force of the world's biggest military alliance, while its credibility will also be at stake, costing trillions to restore.?
NATO in recent times has been ramping up its forces towards the eastern border, moving thousands of troops to the eastern flank. These efforts are made to deter Russia from taking the war into the territory of any of the organisation's 32 member countries.
What did Rutte say??
In a statement, Rutte said, "If Ukraine loses, then to restore the deterrence of the rest of NATO again, it will be a much, much higher price than what we are contemplating at this moment in terms of ramping up our spending and ramping up our industrial production."?
On the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, he added, "It will not be billions extra; it will be trillions extra." Rutte has insisted that Ukraine's supporters in Europe must “step up and not scale back the support” being provided to Kyiv.?
Regarding the deal that Donald Trump has insisted Russia reach, Rutte said, "If we got a bad deal, it would only mean that we will see the president of Russia high-fiving with the leaders from North Korea, Iran, and China, and we cannot accept that."?
Trump pushes for a 'deal' to stop war
Trump on Wednesday threatened to impose tariffs if an agreement isn't reached. However, the warning is less likely to have an impact on the Kremlin. Notably, Russia's economy is already weighed down by a multitude of US and European sanctions, and threats of newer sanctions might not have the impact that Trump desires.?
Moreover, Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski welcomed Trump's acknowledgement that Russia must make the first peace moves first. However, he cautioned, “This is not the Putin that President Trump knew in his first term.”
(With inputs from AP)
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