Mark Rutte urged the Ukrainian leader to try and bury the hatchet with Trump
NATO chief Mark Rutte has urged Volodymyr Zelenskyy to try and patch things up with Donald Trump following their ‘unfortunate’ clash in the White House.
Tempers flared between the duo on Friday (28 February) as they discussed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine while trying to hash out a minerals deal and security guarantees.
The US President warned his Ukrainian counterpart that he was ‘gambling with World War III’ during the heated exchange, which a body language expert has now weighed in on.
Trump shared a statement slamming Zelenskyy for ‘disrespecting the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office’ in the wake of the tense meeting on his ‘Truth Social’ social media platform.
But the Ukrainian President – whose understated attire has got people talking – refused to apologise, although he did admit he doesn’t want to ‘lose [the] friendship’ between his nation and the US.
NATO’s secretary general is on the same page too, as Mark Rutte told Zelenskyy he needs to find a way to remedy this rough patch with Trump and reckons they need to salvage the countries kinship.
He described the meeting as ‘unfortunate’ in a phone call with Zelenskyy hours after it took place, according to the BBC.
Rutte told the leader of the war-torn country: “I think you have to find a way, dear Volodymyr, to restore your relationship with Donald Trump and the American administration. That is important going forward.”
The Dutch politician, who has served as secretary general of NATO since October 2024, went on to remind Zelenskyy of how the US has helped him throughout Russia’s invasion.
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“We really have to respect what President Trump has done so far for Ukraine,” Rutte said.
“Without the Javelins in 2022, when the full-scale attack started, Ukraine would have been nowhere,” he said in reference to the anti-tank weapons which Trump sent to Ukraine in 2019.
“I told him we really have to give Trump credit for what he did then, what America did since then and also what America is still doing.”
Rutte said he was sure that Trump was ‘committed to bring Ukraine to a durable peace’, adding: “And obviously, what they need to get there is to make sure that we’ll all work together on this.”
Despite Zelenskyy and Trump being on shaky ground, Ukraine’s leader received a warm welcome from UK Prime Minister as he arrived at Downing Street yesterday (1 March).
Sir Keir Starmer reassured him that his nation ‘has full backing across the United Kingdom’, while speaking of ‘our absolute determination to stand with’ Ukraine.
“A lasting peace for Ukraine based on sovereignty and security for Ukraine – so important for Ukraine, so important for Europe and so important for the United Kingdom,” the Labour leader added.
Zelenskyy told Starmer he was glad that Ukraine had ‘such friends’, according to the BBC.
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