Russia-North Korea arms deal raises global security alarms
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has warned that Russia is transferring technology and weaponry to North Korea in exchange for military support. He emphasized that such cooperation threatens the security of Europe, the United States, and Asian countries such as South Korea and Japan.
6:33 AM EST, November 13, 2024
During a meeting in Brussels with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Rutte noted that North Korea is not the only regime supporting Russia's aggression in Ukraine. The NATO chief said that for some time now, we have seen how countries like China and Iran are circumventing the sanctions imposed on Russia.
Threat to global security
Rutte argued that all of this increases Putin's capacity to wage war against Ukraine. However, the NATO chief warned that nothing comes for free, and Russia pays for these supplies by transferring weapons, technology, and financial resources. He indicated that strengthening countries like North Korea, Iran, or China constitutes a severe threat not only to Europe and the USA but also to global security.
Rutte emphasized that Iran is supplying drones and other types of weaponry to Russia and that China is providing support in circumventing international sanctions. He added that such actions destabilize the global situation and threaten the security of our allies in Asia.
During talks in Brussels, Rutte and Blinken discussed further steps aimed at supporting Ukraine in the face of ongoing Russian aggression. The leaders agreed on the necessity of maintaining NATO allies' unity and continuing military and humanitarian assistance to Kyiv.
