NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte warned President-elect Donald Trump against forcing Ukraine to accept a peace deal favorable to Russia.
Trump will be sworn into his second presidential term on Jan. 20, a little less than three years after Russia began an unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.
In an interview with Financial Times, Rutte said the U.S. would face a "dire threat" from China, Iran, and North Korea if Ukraine is persuaded to accept a Moscow-friendly peace agreement.
"We cannot have a situation where we have [North Korean leader] Kim Jong Un and the Russian leader [Vladimir Putin] and [China's] Xi Jinping and Iran high-fiving because we came to a deal which is not good for Ukraine, because long-term that will be a dire security threat not only to Europe but also to the U.S.," Rutte told the news outlet.
Besides noting the risks from Russia supplying missile technology to North Korea and cash to Iran, Rutte added Xi "might get thoughts about something else in the future if there is not a good deal [for Ukraine]."
Rutte also told Financial Times that providing Ukraine with enough weapons is a higher priority than discussing President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's desire that his country be invited to join NATO.
"The most important thing now is to make sure that whenever Zelenskyy decides to get into peace talks, that he can do this from a position of strength," Rutte said. "That for me is now priority number one."
Trump, who has suggested he could quickly end the war, used his X platform to name retired Army Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg to serve as a special envoy for the conflict.
Rutte and Trump met in Florida on Nov. 22, when the NATO chief said he conveyed his thoughts about a possible Ukraine-Russia peace deal.
"Look at the missile technology which is now being sent from Russia into North Korea, which is posing a dire threat not only to South Korea, Japan, but also to the U.S. mainland," Rutte said he told Trump, Financial Times reported.
"Iran is getting money from Russia in return for, for example, missiles, but also drone technology. And the money is being used to prop up Hezbollah and Hamas, but also steering conflict beyond the region."
Rutte added that "Xi Jinping watching very carefully what comes out of this."
Rutte, former Dutch prime minister, began his job at NATO in October. In 2018, he played a big role in pushing NATO allies to spend more on defense and convince the then-president not to withdraw U.S. support for the alliance.
"We have a strong relationship," Rutte said of Trump. "We liked each other when I was in my previous role when he was president. And I sense that we can work from the same basis. And it helps that you find it's genuinely a pleasure to work together."