NATO chief to "strengthen Atlantic alliance" against Trump

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutter has urged U.S. President-elect Trump to strengthen the so-called "Atlantic Alliance."

Secretary-General Rutter held a joint press conference after meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris on the 12th local time and pointed out that "Russia is working with North Korea, Iran and China to threaten peace and security not only in Europe, but also in the Indo-Pacific and North America."

"Europe, North America, and global partners must join forces to protect the safety and prosperity of our people," he said. "We must especially keep the Atlantic alliance strong."

Secretary-General Rutter's remarks emphasizing military and security cooperation between the U.S. and Europe are interpreted as a message from Europe to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who will begin his second term in power in January next year.

During his first term in office, Trump also threatened to withdraw from the NATO alliance, insisting on a "free ride on security" in Europe.

In the course of this presidential election, he also called for the burden of security costs in Europe and was skeptical of the current arms and funding for Ukraine.

Earlier, at the European Political Community (EPC) summit in Hungary on the 7th, Secretary-General Rutter said, "I look forward to sitting face to face with Trump and discussing how we can jointly respond to this threat and what more we can do."

At the press conference, Secretary-General Rutter also stressed the need for European countries to invest more in defense, helping Trump's demands.

"We have made significant progress in increasing defense industry capacity and production and replenishing reserves, but we need more defense investment," he said, stressing that the more we spend on defense, the less risk of future conflict.

Regarding the war in Ukraine, he urged "Putin and the dictators who help him to pay a higher price" and "to do this, we need to provide the necessary support for Ukraine to change the course of the war."

"The recent deployment of the North Korean military to the front line is a serious situation," Macron also said, adding that "support for Ukraine, which is attacked by Russia, is an absolute priority, and NATO and its allies must continue to provide Ukraine with all the support it needs."

"We should not decide anything about Ukraine without Ukrainians and Europe without Europeans," he said. "I want to make it clear that this is the only way to negotiate."

This is interpreted as a statement aimed at Trump's "quick war theory" that it is better to end the war quickly even if Ukraine negotiates to give up its territory to some Russia.

"Europe has long avoided the burden of its own security," Macron said, reiterating his self-discipline, saying, "We need to strengthen our collective capabilities by securing the ability to cooperate with non-European allies (the United States) within the alliance."

"This is also what the U.S. administration expects from Europe within the alliance," he added.

President Macron has argued earlier that we need to reduce our dependence on security for the United States.

U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken will visit NATO headquarters in Brussels on the 13th.

NATO announced plans for Blinken's visit a day earlier, explaining that he is attending NATO's top decision-making body, the North Atlantic Council.

Blinken and Rutter are expected to reiterate the impact of sending North Korean troops on U.S. security, stressing the need for unwavering support for Ukraine.