NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte expressed his concerns about the growing ties between Russia and North Korea on Thursday, and plans to discuss the issue with US President-elect Donald Trump.
"I look forward to sitting down with President Trump and seeing how we can collectively ensure we address this threat," Rutte said upon his arrival at the European Political Community summit in Budapest, which brought together about 40 leaders from Europe.
The new NATO chief is particularly worried about the rapprochement between Russia and North Korea, Iran, and China.
"Russia must pay for this. One of the things it is doing is delivering technology to North Korea, which now threatens the future, the American continent, continental Europe, and our Indo-Pacific partners," he told reporters, adding that these are "dangerous developments."
North Korea’s role "illustrates how these countries – China, North Korea, Russia, and of course Iran – are working together. It is increasingly a threat, not only to European NATO countries but also to the United States," he emphasised.
Russia and North Korea have grown considerably closer since Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Western nations accuse Pyongyang of supplying large quantities of shells and missiles to the Russian military in its conflict with Ukraine, along with 11,000 North Korean soldiers sent to Russia's Kursk region, according to a Ukrainian estimate.
Iran is accused of providing drones and missiles to Russia, while China has allegedly helped Moscow circumvent Western sanctions with technologies that could assist Russia's war against Kyiv.
