BRUSSELS: NATO chief Mark Rutte spoke with US President-elect Donald Trump in Florida about “global security issues facing the alliance”, a spokeswoman said on Saturday (November 23).

The meeting took place Friday in Palm Beach, NATO’s Farah Dakhlallah said in a statement.

During his first term, Trump aggressively pushed Europe to increase defense spending and questioned the fairness of the NATO transatlantic alliance.

Former Dutch prime minister said he wanted to meet Trump two days later Trump was elected on November 5and discuss the threat of an increasing warming of relations between North Korea and Russia.

Trump’s resounding victory for his return to the US presidency has tested nerves in Europe that he could end Washington’s vital military aid to Ukraine.

NATO allies say keeping kyiv in the fight against Moscow is essential to European and American security.

“What we are seeing more and more is that North Korea, Iran, China and of course Russia are working together, working together against Ukraine,” Rutte said recently in a meeting European leaders in Budapest.

“At the same time, Russia has to pay for this, and one of the things it does is provide technology to North Korea,” which he says poses a threat to “the continent of United States (and) continental Europe.”

“I look forward to sitting down with Donald Trump to discuss how we can collectively confront these threats,” Rutte said.