He made the statement at the White House during the opening of an expanded-format meeting with President Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and European leaders, as reported by an Ukrinform correspondent.
“The fact that you have said ‘I'm willing to participate in a security guarantees’ is a big step. It's really a breakthrough, and it makes all the difference. So also thank you for that,” the NATO Secretary General added.
Read also: Italy supports idea of security guarantees based on model of NATO's Article 5 – MeloniHe also praised Trump’s efforts to ‘break the deadlock’ with Putin by starting the dialogue. “And I think it was in February that you had the first phone call. And from there, we are now where we are today. And that is, I think if we play this well, we could end this, and we have to end this,” said Rutte, adding that the killings and destruction of Ukraine’s infrastructure must stop.
“It is a terrible war, so I'm really excited. And let's make the best out of today and make sure that from today onwards we get this thing to an end as soon as possible,” the NATO Secretary General stressed.
He once again thanked Trump for his leadership, calling it “really crucial”.
As reported by Ukrinform, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine met with U.S. President Donald Trump for bilateral talks in the Oval Office.
Zelensky said he hopes U.S. and European leaders will help find a diplomatic way to end the war in Ukraine and looks ahead to a trilateral meeting with the presidents of Ukraine, the U.S., and Russia. He also thanked President Trump for his efforts to stop the killing and end the war, as well as for supporting the expanded-format talks with European leaders at the White House.
Archive photo: AA
