NATO chief Mark Rutte on Saturday called the heated meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump on Friday “very unfortunate.”
In an interview with BBC News, Rutte said he has spoken with Zelensky twice since the meeting, and he told him that the US, Europe and Ukraine need to “stick together” to bring “durable peace” to the country.
While Rutte would not disclose specifics of what he discussed with Zelensky, he said he told the Ukrainian leader that “we really have to respect what President Trump has done so far for Ukraine.”
The NATO leader praised Trump for his 2019 decision to approve the provision of Javelin anti-tank missiles to Ukraine, as well as for talking to Russia in his current presidency and “basically (breaking) the deadlock when it came to peace negotiation.”
“I’m absolutely convinced that the US wants to bring Ukraine to this durable peace,” Rutte said, adding that “it is important that President Zelensky finds a way to restore his relationship with the American president and with the senior American leadership team.”
Rutte said he is “friends” with Trump and knows he is “committed” to bringing peace to Kyiv. He also said that Trump is committed to NATO.
For his part, Zelensky said Saturday that it’s “crucial” for Ukraine to have Trump’s backing and expressed his gratitude to the US, while also saying he remains ready to sign the minerals agreement he had traveled to Washington to hammer out before the diplomatic breakdown.
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