The levant news

Four African migrants die of cold or hunger in eastern Tunisia

The Arab News reported, Tunisian authorities told AFP, the bodies of four Africa...

UK Defence Secretary: it is not too late for Putin to end his inv...

March 3, 2022

The BBC reported, UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has said that it is not too l...

News

Lions, tigers and bears rescued from Kyiv animal shelter amid Rus...

March 3, 2022

The National News reported that on the outskirts of Kyiv, a group of conservatio...

News

UNHCR: One million Ukrainian refugees fled their country since be...

March 3, 2022

The Arab News reported, citing the AFP, the United Nations said Thursday that

News

Pope Francis to visit South Sudan and Democratic Republic of Cong...

March 3, 2022

The Asharq Al-Awsat reported, the Vatican said on Thursday, Pop...

News

Taiwan honors former US Secretary of State Pompeo, China calls hi...

March 3, 2022

The Arab News reported, citing Reuters, Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen bestowed a...

NATO Secretary-General Ex...

Amid growing anxiety among several European countries participating in NATO over Donald Trump's victory in the U.S. presidential election, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte stated he looks forward to sitting down with Trump.

Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.