NATO Chief Urges Urgent Increased Support for Ukraine
NATO chief Mark Rutte has called for the international community to ‘step up’ its support for Ukraine in a position that would put the country in the best possible shape to negotiate a sustainable peace deal with Russia. At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Rutte again stressed the need for further support for Ukraine; he said changing the direction of the war is necessary to achieve a peace and that a Ukrainian loss might lead Russia, North Korea, Iran and China to form an even stronger alliance.
Rutte expressed concern that another invasion, similar to the 2014 Minsk peace talks, could result from a premature or weak peace deal. He reiterated NATO’s commitment to Ukraine’s future membership, which means that the open-door policy of NATO is still in effect.
On the other hand, Richard Grenell, who was special envoy for missions under former U.S. President Donald Trump, responded to Rutte’s comments by calling on European members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to increase their military spending. Grenell has been critical of European countries for not meeting their defense targets; he says that NATO should not extend its protection to countries that are not doing their part. Rutte agreed that Europe’s defence spending must rise, and that if current levels of spending are maintained then the capabilities of collective defence of NATO would be compromised.
NATO’s role in helping Ukraine remains important as leaders from countries close to Ukraine and Russia, including Finland and Poland, push for stronger defence and sustainable peace. The president of Poland, Andrzej Duda, has called for tougher measures that would force Russia to negotiate; the president of Latvia, Edgars Rinkēvičs, has stressed the importance of maintaining sanctions on Russia, even if a potential peace deal is reached.
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