United States Secretary of State, Antony Blinken has pledged to strengthen support for Ukraine before the end of Joe Biden’s presidency in January.
The top US diplomat made the promise as he met NATO Secretary-General, Mark Rutte during a one-day emergency visit to Brussels on Wednesday, November 13, 2024.
Blinken’s visit to Brussels comes amid ongoing uncertainty over the stance of President-elect Donald Trump on Ukraine’s conflict with Russia and the wider NATO alliance.
Blinken asserted that the outgoing administration in Washington will “continue to shore up everything we’re doing for Ukraine” in the months before Trump assumes the presidency again.
“President Biden fully intends to drive through the tape and use every day to continue to do what we have done these last four years, which is strengthen this alliance.”
Antony Blinken
He also pledged a “firm response” to the deployment of North Korean troops inside Russia to help push back Ukraine’s offensive in Kursk.
The U.S. Secretary of state emphasized the interconnected nature of security, citing the growing “indivisibility of security between the Euro-Atlantic, Indo-Pacific, and Middle Eastern theaters,” and urged allies to pursue even closer cooperation.
He pointed to NATO’s recent efforts to strengthen ties with Indo-Pacific allies, a trend that he expects will continue in the months ahead.
Blinken highlighted the importance of NATO allies investing in defense, with 23 out of 32 members now reaching the 2 percent GDP target.
However, he stressed the need to focus spending “where it is most critical,” citing growing challenges that span multiple regions.
Rutte Urges Alliance To Do More For Ukraine
On his part, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte acknowledged that with the US backing, Ukraine “has prevailed and Russia has not won.”
He added that the alliance needed to do more to make sure that “Ukraine can stay in the fight and is able to roll back as much as possible the Russian onslaught and prevent (President Vladimir) Putin from being successful in Ukraine.”
The NATO chief also expressed concern over North Korean troops engaging in combat in Ukraine, which he described as an “extra threat” for Kyiv and a significant escalation that bolsters Putin’s ability to inflict damage.
However, he added that Putin “has to pay for this.”
“He (Putin) is paying for this by technology, for example, missile technology going to North Korea and that is presenting a threat not only to European sides of NATO but also to the US mainlands, to South Korea, Japan.”
Mark Rutte
In addition, Rutte accused China of aiding Russia by supplying dual-use goods, and Iran for providing drones and other supplies that Moscow is “paying in money,” enabling Tehran to further destabilize the Middle East.
He noted that such combined threats mean “that we have to stay the course, that we have to ramp up defense production on the US side and Europe, that we have to do more in terms of spending to make sure Ukraine prevails.”
Shortly before Blinken spoke, Russia launched a barrage of missiles on Kyiv for the first time in months.
As part of his visit, Blinken also met NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) General Christopher Cavoli, along with top officials from the European Union and the United Kingdom.
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