Nato chief urges Zelensky to mend ties with Trump following row

BRUSSELS - Nato chief Mark Rutte on March 1 said he told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that he needs to find a way to restore his relationship with US President Donald Trump after their clash at a White House meeting on Feb 28.

The confrontation flared

over differing visions of how to end Russia’s three-year-old invasion, with Mr Zelensky seeking strong security guarantees from a Trump administration that has embraced diplomacy with President Vladimir Putin’s Russia.

The meeting, which Mr Rutte described as “unfortunate”, plunged ties between Kyiv and its top military backer to a new low.

“I said: 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,” Mr Rutte told the BBC, commenting on a call he had with Mr Zelensky on Feb 28.

He said he told the Ukrainian leader that “we really have to respect what President Trump has done so far for Ukraine”, reminding Mr Zelensky that Mr Trump was the one who provided Javelin anti-tank weapons in 2019 that had enabled the country’s forces to fight back when Russia invaded.

“Without the Javelins in 2022, when the full-scale attack started, Ukraine would have been nowhere,” said Mr Rutte. “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.”

Quizzed on some of the accusations traded between the leaders on Feb 28, the Nato chief declined to comment in detail, saying the US was very invested in the military alliance, including in its mutual-defence clause Article 5.

Mr Rutte called Mr Trump a friend but did not directly address questions about whether Mr Trump was right when he accused Mr Zelensky of gambling with World War III, or when he said Mr Zelensky either needed to strike a deal or the US would be “out”.

“I am absolutely convinced that the US wants to bring Ukraine to this durable peace... And obviously, what they need to get there is to make sure that we’ll all work together on this,” he said.

Asked whether Nato allies would be capable of filling the gaps should the US withdraw its military support from Ukraine, Mr Rutte replied: “Let’s move beyond this question. It is crucial that we stay all in this together – the US, Ukraine, Europe, that we bring Ukraine to a peace, this is exactly what President Trump is fighting for, what we all are fighting for.” REUTERS