NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is expected to meet U.S. President Donald Trump this afternoon in Washington. Meanwhile, the anticipated Trump–Putin meeting, according to U.S. sources, is not expected to take place “anytime soon.”
NATO unexpectedly announced a meeting between Secretary General Rutte and President Trump.
“Rutte is expected in Washington on Wednesday,” spokesperson Allison Hart stated, adding that the talks will take place later in the afternoon.
The meeting’s backdrop appears to be Trump’s ongoing efforts to end the war in Ukraine. Recently, Trump held a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin and later hinted at the possibility of meeting the Kremlin leader in Budapest.
However, on Tuesday, U.S. media reported that plans for such a meeting had been frozen or at least postponed.
Trump–Putin Meeting “Not Expected Anytime Soon”
A senior U.S. official, quoted anonymously by several news agencies, said that “a meeting is not expected anytime soon.” Initially, a preparatory meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was planned for this week to set up the presidential summit in Budapest.
But following a phone call between Rubio and Lavrov on October 19, 2025, the meeting was deemed unnecessary. No official confirmation has been released so far. Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov suggested there is “no rush” regarding a Trump–Putin meeting, noting that “serious preparations” would be required first.
Russia Rejects Trump’s Proposal for a Frontline Freeze
Contrary to Trump’s proposal, Russia has rejected any idea of freezing the fighting along current frontlines.
“If we stop now, it would mean forgetting the causes of this conflict,” Foreign Minister Lavrov told the state news agency TASS, claiming that such a move would leave “a large part of Ukraine under the leadership of a Nazi regime.”
Russian propaganda continues to falsely assert that Ukraine is governed by the far right. Lavrov added that the idea of an immediate ceasefire contradicts the U.S.–Russia agreement reached in Alaska.
Trump and Putin last met in August in Alaska, during U.S.-led peace efforts for Ukraine, though no tangible results emerged from that meeting.
