“I have full confidence in Trump.” NATO chief dismisses concerns over tensions between US president and Ukrainian counterpart
Donald Trump and Mark Rutte. PHOTO: ANP / ddp USA / Profimedia
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Wednesday downplayed concerns about tensions between Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, while reiterating his belief that “only” the US leader can make peace between Moscow and Kiev, reports AFP.
On a visit to Washington just days after tense talks between Trump and Zelenski, Rutte met with members of the US Congress and then went to the White House.
Asked if his visit to Washington was a sign that last week's Trump-Zelenski talks were a “disaster,” Rutte said no, describing the meeting between the presidents of the United States and Ukraine as “a successful meeting.”
After meeting with senators, the NATO chief told reporters that his trip to the US was planned in advance and came after he sent a message to the US president asking him to “discuss how we can now implement his vision for peace in Ukraine.”
“I have full confidence in President Trump and he is the only one who can achieve this,” Rutte said when asked if Russian President Vladimir Putin had convinced his American counterpart to soften his stance on Moscow.
“His leadership here is crucial. He clearly offers it and he has to dialogue with all the leaders. He has to dialogue with Putin, he has to dialogue with Zelenskiy,” explained the NATO Secretary General.
Tomahawk talks still ongoing
Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, who spoke to reporters alongside Rutte, said discussions were still ongoing about a possible supply of long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine.
Trump met with Zelenskiy at the White House on Friday, but the meeting – which a senior Ukrainian official described as “tense” – ended without an announcement on the supply of Tomahawk missiles to Kiev.
The talks “were not easy,” the Ukrainian official said.
The US president was due to hold a summit with his Russian counterpart in Budapest, but the White House said on Tuesday, after a meeting between the two heads of state on Monday, that Trump had no plans to meet Putin “in the near future”. The US leader said he did not want a wasted meeting, something Moscow also says it wants to avoid.
