Nato chief warns Trump not to push Ukraine deal that would see Putin ‘high-fiving’ Iran

The new secretary-general of Nato has warned Donald Trump not to push Ukraine to sign a peace deal that would see the leaders of Russia and Iran “high-fiving”.

Mark Rutte also warned such an agreement would create a “dire security threat not only to Europe but also to the US.”

The next US President has repeatedly claimed that he would bring peace to Ukraine within 24 hours of taking office.

While he has yet to reveal details of his plan to end the war, hints that Ukraine would be forced to make significant concessions to its Russian invaders have worried Nato countries.

In a press conference on Tuesday, Mr Rutte urged allies to increase military aid for Ukraine to strengthen Kyiv’s position should it enter negotiations with Moscow.

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"We will all need to do more. The stronger our military support to Ukraine is now, the stronger their hand will be at the negotiating table," he warned.

He added: "Putin is not interested in peace. He is pressing on, trying to take more territory. Because he thinks he can break Ukraine’s resolve and ours, but he is wrong.”

Mr Trump plans to appoint retired US lieutenant general Keith Kellogg, who co-authored a policy document that proposed ending the war by withdrawing weapons from Ukraine if it did not enter peace talks, as envoy to Ukraine and Russia.

Last week the Russian President Vladimir Putin added to Nato allies’ fears as he heaped praise on Mr Trump and suggested that his incoming administration would “find a solution” to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.

“As far as I can imagine, the newly elected president is an intelligent and already quite experienced person. I think he will find a solution,” President Putin said.

Sir Keir Starmer and the French leader Emmanuel Macron have already vowed to put Ukraine in the “strongest possible position” going into winter, before Mr Trump returns to the Oval Office in January.

The Biden administration has also authorised Ukraine’s use of US-supplied long-range missiles inside of Russia.

In a significant development last week Ukrainian president indicated for the first time that Kyiv could accept Russian control over some of its territory in order to end the “hot phase of the war”.

But, in an interview with the Financial Times, Mr Rutte warned of the risks of Russia supplying missile technology to North Korea and cash to Iran.

In what was seen as a reference to Taiwan, he said that Chinese President Xi Jinping “might get thoughts about something else in the future if there is not a good deal [for Ukraine]”.

He added: “We cannot have a situation where we have [North Korean leader] Kim Jong Un and the Russian leader and 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 US.”

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He revealed he had made this point to Mr Trump when the two men met in Florida on November 22, as part of an effort to persuade the US president-elect to  stick with Nato allies and keep up American support for Ukraine.

On Monday night, Sir Keir made it clear that he believes Mr Trump will not abandon Ukraine, despite appointments to the incoming president’s cabinet which suggest he plans to end the current flow of financial and military aid to the country.

In a speech on foreign affairs the prime minister said: “There’s no question it’s right we support Ukraine. But we must also be clear that it is deeply in our self-interest. I would encourage everyone here to stop and think for a moment about what it would mean to us, to our continent, to the world, if Russia wins. What would it mean for our values – for democracy, commerce, and liberty?”