Russian victory in Ukraine would threaten both Europe and US, NATO chief warns

A Russian victory in Ukraine would not only jeopardize Europe but also the US, the chief of NATO warned on Thursday.

"If Russia would be successful in Ukraine, you would have an emboldened Russia at our border, having gained land mass, having gained a huge defense force of Ukraine, but also the ingenuity of Ukrainian people. So that will be a threat not only, not only to Europe, European part of NATO, but also to the United States," Mark Rutte said in doorsteps remarks at the European Political Community meeting in Hungary's capital Budapest.

Rutte also noted that Russia's military efforts against Ukraine are heavily supported by China, Iran, and North Korea, also underlining the recent involvement of North Korean troops in the conflict.

"Russia has to pay for this (support), and one of the things they are doing is delivering technology to North Korea, which is now threatening ... the mainland of the US, continental Europe, but also our partners in the Indo Pacific, Japan, for example, and Republic of (South) Korea," Rutte said.

To address these emerging threats, Rutte emphasized the need for NATO's European members to invest more in defense and strengthen cooperation with the US.

Since Donald Trump won another presidential term on Tuesday, set to succeed current President Joe Biden, European leaders have stressed that Europe must do more on its own, as Trump has been critical of NATO and has even been rumored to seek US withdrawal from the alliance. He has also been very critical of US military support to Ukraine.

Last Tuesday, South Korea's Defense Ministry claimed that 10,000 North Korean troops had been deployed in Russia.

Neither North Korea nor Russia has officially commented on the reports, though the Kremlin has defended its relationship with Pyongyang, labeling it a matter of Russian sovereignty.