Rutte denies that last meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy was "complete failure"
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that the meeting between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House on October 17 was successful.
This was reported by Censor.NET with reference to Sky News.
When asked whether Rutte's current visit to the US was "proof that Trump's meeting with Zelenskyy on Friday was a complete failure," the secretary general replied:
"It (the meeting between Rutte and Trump – ed.) was planned in advance. I corresponded with the president after the huge success in Gaza, and we agreed to meet in Washington to discuss how we could implement his vision of peace in Ukraine."
Rutte is convinced that the meeting went well
Commenting on the meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy, the Alliance's Secretary General said that it was "a good meeting, a successful meeting."
Rutte added that NATO has been "renewed (and) revitalized" since Trump's re-election as US president in January, and that he "broke the deadlock" in relations with Vladimir Putin when they spoke on the phone in February.
Meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy on October 17
On Friday, October 17, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy and US President Trump held a meeting at the White House. According to media reports, the Ukrainian president brought maps showing the vulnerabilities of the Russian defense-industrial complex to the meeting with the White House leader.
The talks between the leaders of Ukraine and the United States lasted longer than planned.
After meeting with the American leader, Zelenskyy held a telephone conversation with European leaders.
After the meeting, Zelenskyy confirmed that during his meeting with Trump, he discussed the transfer of Tomahawk long-range missiles to Ukraine. However, the leaders decided not to talk publicly about long-range missiles at this time: the US does not want escalation.
After meeting with Zelenskyy, Trump said that it was time for Ukraine and Russia to conclude a peace agreement and "stop where they are."
Trump and Putin meet in Hungary
At the same time, on October 16, Trump held talks with the Russian dictator.
The parties agreed to meet in Budapest to discuss ending the Russian-Ukrainian war.
According to media reports, plans for a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin in Budapest have been "put on hold."
