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NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte told Fox News his Oval Office meeting with President Donald Trump on Wednesday reaffirmed that he believes the Trump administration is pursuing the right approach in its attempt to end the war in Ukraine, despite the recent cancellation of a planned Trump-Putin meeting.
The meeting came days after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the White House and was focused on ways to build on momentum following the peace agreement in the Middle East.
“We are able, collectively, to change the calculus of Vladimir Putin,” Rutte told “Special Report,” citing how recent secondary sanctions on India and the suggestion of sending long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine prompted the Russian leader to pick up the phone.
Rutte also mentioned stagnant Russian gains and heavy losses as a driving force to finally bring the war, which has lasted over three years, to an end.
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Rutte expressed optimism over the Trump administration’s approach due to the economic hardship he said the war has triggered within Russia, citing long lines of cars waiting for gas from a depleted supply heavily targeted by Ukrainian attacks and strapped with sanctions.
The U.S. Treasury Department hit Rosneft and Lukoil, Russia’s two largest oil companies, with sanctions after Russian drone and missile attacks killed at least six people across Ukraine.
Fox News chief political anchor Bret Baier pushed back on Rutte for his optimism, saying that in the past, attacks have increased in Ukraine after attempted communication with Putin. Following August’s Alaska summit, Russia launched a massive drone and missile attack across Ukraine.
“What do you say to critics who say that these communications with Putin let him off the hook?” Baier asked.
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“We always knew this was not easy…” Rutte said.
“This will not end tomorrow or the day after tomorrow,” he added.
He pointed to Trump’s close collaboration with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on preventing Russian oil sales as another positive step, as well as NATO’s unity in deterring possible threats.
In the past six weeks, three Russian planes flew over Estonian airspace and drones have crossed into Poland. Both are NATO countries.
“NATO reacted exactly as we should,” Rutte said. “We have trained and prepared for this.”
The secretary-general also made it clear that, in the future, if Russian planes pose a threat, NATO can take them down if necessary. If they don’t pose a threat, they will be intercepted and guided out of NATO airspace.
Rutte emphasized his faith that Trump would stand by his promise to bring the killing to an end.
“He is really a peacemaker,” Rutte said. “He wants to end this war. This is close to his heart.”
He als emphasized the importance of freezing the lines of the conflict immediately, and having Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin come to the table for a meeting.
“Stop where you are, and then you can still debate a lot of other things later,” Rutte said.