WASHINGTON
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said Thursday that the “ball is clearly in the Russian court” regarding a Ukraine ceasefire.
“There is something on the table now, I think, where the Ukrainians are really playing ball, and I think the ball is clearly in the Russian court now,” Rutte told reporters.
His remarks came after his meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House.
Rutte is in Washington, DC to meet with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz.
Asked whether Russian President Vladimir Putin wants peace, Rutte said: “I don’t know. I worked with him for four years between 2010 and 2014 when I was prime minister in the Netherlands and I’ve stopped trying to read his mind.”
“What I’m seeing here is a United States and a leader in President Trump who was the first to break the deadlock,” he added.
On a possible US pullout from the Russia-Ukraine talks, Rutte referred to Wednesday’s Ukraine talks in London.
“I think when you look at the outcome of the meeting yesterday in London, we can be quite positive on where we are. So I’m not seeing a situation where the US is walking.
“I’m seeing a situation that under President Trump’s leadership could bring this to a positive end,” he added.
On the US potentially decreasing its military presence in Europe, Rutte said there is a “total commitment” of the US to NATO.
For the upcoming NATO summit in the Hague, the secretary general said “we are all really excited” about increased spending and fairness.
“This is really a NATO which is stronger, which is fair, which is also more lethal in terms of being able to defend NATO territory,” he added.
The US has been urging its NATO allies to raise defense spending to 5% of their respective GDPs.
