The levant news

Chinese embassy in U.S. urges Washington to cancel Nancy Pelosi's trip to Taiwan

The Xinhua reported, the Chinese embassy in the United States on Thursday (Apr 7...

News

Japan to expel eight Russian diplomats and trade officials, impos...

April 8, 2022

The Asharq Al-Awsat reported, Japan announced Friday it is expelling eight Russi...

News

Slovakia gives S-300 air defence system to Ukraine

April 8, 2022

The Anews reported, Slovak Prime Minister Eduard Heger on Friday said the EU mem...

Report: Muslim women face racial and religious discrimination by...

April 8, 2022

The Arab News reported, British website The Independent said citing a damning re...

UK sanctions Russian President Vladimir Putin’s daughters over Uk...

April 8, 2022

The Alarabiya English reported, citing news agencies, Britain added Russian Pres...

News

Two Russian rockets hit railway station in Kramatorsk in east Ukr...

April 8, 2022

The Anews reported, citing Reuters, Ukraine's state railway company said on...

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.