Reuters reported that on March 1, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte revealed that he had reminded Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to seek a way to restore relations with US President Donald Trump after the heated debate at the White House on February 28.
This advice was given by Mr. Rutte in a phone call with Mr. Zelensky on February 28. I think he must find a way to restore relations with President Donald Trump and the US administration. That is very important in the coming time, said the NATO Secretary General.
In an interview with BBC, Mr. Rutte used the word " regrettably" to describe the meeting between the two US and Ukrainian leaders, and said that Kiev's relations with its most important military ally are continuing to deteriorate.
Mr. Rutte noted that Ukraine must really respect what President Trump has done for Ukraine, while emphasizing that Mr. Trump was the one who provided weapons to prevent the Javelin increase to Ukraine in 2019.
The NATO Secretary General affirmed that without Javelin, Ukraine would not be able to withstand Russia's special military campaign in 2022.
I told him (Zelensky) that we really have to acknowledge what Trump did at that time, what the United States has done since then and what the United States is still doing, Rutte said.
However, Mr. Rutte declined to comment in detail on the allegations made by the two leaders on February 28, including Mr. Trump saying Mr. Zelensky was betting on the risk of World War III.
Mr. Rutte affirmed that the US wants to help Ukraine achieve sustainable peace and emphasized that this goal can only become a reality when all parties work closely together.
When asked whether NATO could make up for the gap if the US withdraws military aid, Mr. Rutte did not answer directly, but emphasized the importance of cooperation between the US, Ukraine and Europe to achieve peace - something that President Trump also aimed for.
