NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte called on Volodymyr Zelensky to restore relations with US President Donald Trump and called their spat "regrettable." He said this in an interview with the BBC.
"I told Zelensky that he needs to find a way to restore relations with Donald Trump and the American administration," Rutte said, explaining that he had already spoken to Zelensky twice after the heated conversation in the Oval Office. The NATO Secretary General did not reveal what Zelensky responded to him.
Rutte called the incident in the White House "regrettable." "I said that we must stick together: the United States, Ukraine, Europe, so that Ukraine can achieve long-term peace," the NATO Secretary General said, calling Trump a friend.
"I told him clearly that we must respect what President Trump has done so far for Ukraine," Rutte said, stressing that without US support, Ukraine "would be nowhere" and would not be able to fight back. In particular, the NATO chief singled out the US supply of Javelin anti-tank missile systems to Kyiv.
Speaking about the conditions for concluding peace in Ukraine, Rutte said that "it should not be Minsk-3", but "a firm, long-term peace that will prevent war in the future." "I am with President Trump on this," the NATO Secretary General assured.
The position of Rutte, a former Dutch prime minister, differed from that of European leaders, who supported Zelensky following the incident in the White House.
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