NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte played down worries about tensions between Donald Trump and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy, emphasizing his belief that only the US president could broker peace between Moscow and Kyiv. Rutte, in Washington following Trump’s meeting with Zelenskyy, met with lawmakers on Capitol Hill before his own session at the White House later in the day.
He clarified that his visit was not a response to any perceived failure in the Trump-Zelenskyy talks but was planned earlier. Rutte had reached out to the US president to discuss implementing Trump’s vision for peace in Ukraine, expressing full confidence in President Trump’s ability to lead the peace efforts.
Republican Senator Thom Tillis, speaking alongside Rutte, mentioned ongoing discussions regarding providing long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, a weapon sought by Kyiv for precision strikes in Russia. Tillis highlighted the strategic significance of such a move, emphasizing the capabilities and reach of the Tomahawk missiles.
Following the White House meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy, where no decision was made on providing Tomahawks to Kyiv, a senior Ukrainian official described the talks as tense and challenging. Trump’s plans to meet Putin in Budapest were put on hold, with no immediate future meeting scheduled, as the US president seeks meaningful dialogue with various world leaders including Putin and Zelenskyy to advance the peace process in Ukraine.