NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte speaks during a press conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels, October 15, 2025. Image: keystone
Oct 21, 2025, 10:37 p.mOct 21, 2025, 10:37 p.m
NATO has surprisingly announced a meeting between Secretary General Mark Rutte and US President Donald Trump. Rutte will be in Washington this Wednesday, announced spokeswoman Allison Hart. The conversation should take place in the late afternoon, it was said. No press events are planned.
Ending the Ukraine War
The background to the meeting is Trump’s current efforts to end the war in Ukraine. He recently spoke on the phone again with Russian President Vladimir Putin and then promised an imminent meeting with the Kremlin boss in Budapest. On Tuesday, however, US media reported that plans for the meeting were already on hold or at least delayed.
“The further the Ukrainian weapons reach, the greater the Russian willingness to end the war.”
Volodymyr Zelensky
Ukraine hopes that if Putin fails to respond, Trump will increase his support for Ukraine and also approve the sale of US-made Tomahawk cruise missiles to his country. “The further the Ukrainian weapons reach, the greater the Russian willingness to end the war,” emphasized Head of State Volodymyr Zelensky in a video message published in the evening.
Political and military aid
Political and military aid for Ukraine will also be discussed on Friday at discussions by the so-called Coalition of the Willing, led by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte usually also takes part in the Ukraine Support Group’s talks. (sda/dpa)