NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte expressed “full confidence” in the way U.S. President Donald Trump has handled the Russia-Ukraine war, defending Trump’s communication with Russian President Vladimir Putin ahead of their upcoming high-stakes meeting.
“I have full confidence in President Trump, and he is the only one who can do this,” Rutte told reporters, referring to Trump’s changed stance on Ukraine’s territorial recovery and his direct talks with Putin.
Rutte described Trump’s leadership as “essential,” highlighting the U.S. President’s role in negotiations in the Gaza Strip, and emphasizing that Trump must engage all parties, including Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, to reach a comprehensive agreement. He characterized Trump’s goal as ending the bloodshed and achieving a sustainable resolution to the conflict.
A White House official noted on Tuesday that plans for a second Trump-Putin summit were temporarily postponed following a “productive” phone call between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Trump had announced on October 16, after speaking with Putin, that he planned to meet the Russian President in Hungary within two weeks.
