EU and NATO leaders to discuss Trump, security and defence at summit
European Union and NATO leaders want to hold talks with Donald Trump soon following his re-election as US president. “We need to have an open conversation,” said outgoing Belgian prime minister Alexander De Croo ahead of a summit in Budapest.
Questions about Trump’s policies on NATO and the war in Ukraine and the impact on European security are expected to dominate Thursday’s European Political Community summit, which involves 47 heads of state and government.
NATO secretary-general Mark Rutte, who is also attending the summit, wants to discuss with Trump how the alliance can defend itself against collective threats.
“What I am thinking about in particular is how the role North Korea is now playing in Russia’s war against Ukraine shows how these countries work together,” he said. “Russia, North Korea, China and Iran. That is a threat not only to the European arm of NATO but also to the United States.”
"I want to sit down with President Trump to see how we can collectively address these threats and keep our part of the world safe"
In exchange for North Korean soldiers being sent to Ukraine, Russia is supplying modern missile technology to Pyongyang, which in turn allows Kim Jong-un’s regime to threaten the US and countries like Japan and South Korea, Rutte said.
“These are dangerous developments, and I want to sit down with President Trump to see how we can collectively address these threats and keep our part of the world safe.”
The summit was launched following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 as a forum to jointly tackle continental challenges. Besides the 27 EU member states, countries including Iceland, Türkiye, Ukraine and the UK are represented. The meeting is taking place in Hungary, whose prime minister, Viktor Orban, is a long-time ally of Trump.
Shared interests
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen worked with Trump during his first mandate. “We have something to build on,” she said. “We have to analyse what our shared interests are, and work with that.”
Either way, “the world’s autocrats must get the message that it is not brute force that counts, but the rule of law”, she said. “The big neighbour must not be the bully of the other countries, their integrity must be defended.”
"If Russia were successful in Ukraine, it would feel emboldened, which would be a threat not only to Europe but also to the US"
As Dutch prime minister, Rutte reportedly had a good relationship with Trump. “He is very clear in what he wants and understands that we have to find common positions,” he said on Thursday. “If Russia were successful in Ukraine, it would feel emboldened, which would be a threat not only to Europe but also to the US,” he said.”
Meanwhile, De Croo insisted that Europe should be able to vouch for its own security, but that it would still be better off cooperating with the US.
“In the two months left before Trump takes office, we have time to talk,” he said. “We should have an open conversation and based on that everyone should make their own choices.”
Ursula von der Leyen arrives for the European Political Community Summit in Budapest, 7 November 2024 © PHOTO FERENC ISZA / AFP
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