NATO chief ‘delighted’ by Trump’s threat of sanctions against Russia.
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary General Mark Rutte during a transition ceremony at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, Tuesday, October 1, 2024. A tough task ahead to make the defense alliance a global force.
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NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte praised newly-elected US President Donald Trump for warning him on Wednesday that Russia would expect more tariffs and sanctions if it did not end its war in Ukraine.
“I was very happy with Trump’s position to impose more sanctions on Russia. We know that the Russian economy is doing very badly, and the sanctions will help,” he told CNBC from the side of the world economy. Forum in Davos, Switzerland”.
They expressed their hope that Europe will now “grow” by imposing sanctions to “suppress the Russian economy” and reduce Moscow’s war coffers.
“Trump is right, Ukraine is getting closer to Europe, but Trump is also right that it’s a geopolitical conflict so I’m sure the United States wants to see a good, strong deal,” Ruth added.
Trump said Wednesday that if no deal is reached soon to end the war between Russia and Ukraine, the United States will have “no choice but to impose massive tariffs, tariffs and sanctions on everything that Russia sells to the United States.” and other participating countries.
“Let’s end this war that would never have started if I were president!” Trump said. On a real social platform. “We can do it the easy way or the hard way – and the easy way is always the best.”
Trump has threatened to end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours of being elected, as well as cut military funding to Kiev. There is concern in Europe that Ukraine, deprived of money and weapons, could be pushed into a bad peace deal that includes territorial concessions to Russia.
February marks the 3rd anniversary of Russia’s invasion, and while war fatigue is rising among some allies, the war shows no sign of ending soon as Russia looks to make gains and Ukraine avoids further territorial losses ahead of any peace talks.
When asked about the current assessment of the war between Ukraine and Russia, NATO Commander-in-Chief Ruth said: “It is not going in the right direction at the moment.”
“At the moment it (the war) is not moving in the right direction, (the war front) is moving east and west … We have to change that, we have to change the direction of the war.” he said.
This breaking news is being updated.