NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte brushed aside concerns in Europe that former President Donald Trump would return to the White House to yell.
Rutte, 57, said the 45th president understood the need to support Ukraine in its defensive war against Russia, despite Trump's frequent attacks on 32 member states. He claimed that there was.
“Really, stop worrying about President Trump. We don't know who will win,” the former Dutch prime minister, who took over as NATO secretary-general earlier this month, told reporters outside No. 10 Downing Street on Thursday. Ta.
“If Kamala Harris is elected, I'm going to work with her, and if Donald Trump is elected, I'm going to work with her.”
Rutte's comments came during a visit to London where he met with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and presented his so-called plan for victory.
Zelensky, 46, met Trump, 78, at Trump Tower in New York last month in his first in-person visit since 2019. Trump reiterated his desire to end the war, but gave few details about how.
“I think we can work out something that's good for both sides,” Trump said on camera afterward, standing next to Zelenskiy, who looked uncomfortable.
Last month, during a debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, President Trump declined to say whether he wanted Ukraine to win the war.
Since leaving the White House, the Republican presidential candidate has had at least seven private phone calls with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, according to Watergate investigator Bob Woodward.
His running mate, JD Vance, has floated a plan to establish a demilitarized zone between the two countries, with a promise that Kiev will not join NATO. The proposal drew a rebuke from President Zelensky.
“I know that he completely understands and agrees with me that this fight in Ukraine is not just about Ukraine, but about the security and future security of the United States. I know that,” Rutte added to reporters about Trump.
During his presidency, Trump increased aid to Ukraine, which is closely monitoring the conflict in the Donbas region that Russia has intensified. He greenlit deadly military aid to Kiev, going a step further than his predecessor, Barack Obama, in helping the beleaguered ally.
Harris criticized President Trump's approach to Ukraine as a “surrender” policy. She recently declared that she has no intention of negotiating an end to the war “bilaterally without Ukraine.”
Apart from publicly boasting that he can end bloody wars in the country; 24 hours after taking officePresident Trump also criticized NATO members for not following the alliance's guidelines to spend 2% of gross domestic product on defense.
In February, President Trump upset allies by recounting a conversation during a rally with an unnamed European leader in which he asked whether the United States would protect him from Russia.
“No, I won't protect you,” Trump recalled responding. “In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever they want to do. You have to pay. You have to pay the bills.”
Privately, he has reportedly floated various ideas to induce NATO members to pony up, including that unless the ally reaches the 2% threshold, the U.S. This includes telling allies that they are not committed to defending them.
Mr. Rutte's predecessor as NATO chief, Jens Stoltenberg, expressed similar embarrassment about Mr. Trump's comments. He also trusted him It will help incentivize NATO members to step up defense spending.
The newly installed NATO chief has been dubbed the “Trump Whisperer” by some because of his talent for swaying the former president.
