NATO chief: Ukraine initiative challenges Russia's next move

• Meeting in Washington: Mark Rutte met with US President Donald Trump and his advisors to discuss NATO defence issues and the situation in Ukraine.
• Negotiations with Ukraine: Rutte emphasised that the Ukrainians have taken action, and now Russia must respond to their initiatives.
• Defence spending: Rutte noted that NATO countries need to increase their defence spending to meet threats from Russia.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte met with US President Donald Trump on Thursday. - It's something on the table now, I think, where the Ukrainians are really playing ball, and I think the ball is clearly in the Russian court - he said.

He admitted that he does not know whether Vladimir Putin wants peace. He also refused to provide details on the concessions required of Ukraine and denied reports by the "Financial Times" that his visit to Washington was intended to dissuade the Trump administration from efforts to force Ukraine to accept an unfavourable deal, including the recognition of the annexation of Crimea.

Rutte reported that talks with Trump and his National Security Advisor Michael Waltz and Secretary of State Marco Rubio focused mainly on NATO defence spending and the upcoming summit in The Hague. Negotiations regarding the war in Ukraine were also discussed.

Earlier on Thursday, Rutte met with Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth, and later had planned meetings with Waltz and Rubio. The meeting with Trump was not in his original plans.

Rutte also addressed the issue of the presence of American soldiers in Europe. He suggested that the US might reduce its military presence on the continent, which he considered justified. He also added that the United States has to manage many theatres, including the Middle East and the Indo-Pacific, explaining that since President Obama's time, there has been a pivot towards Asia.

Rutte emphasised that NATO countries, such as Belgium, Spain, and Italy, must meet the defence spending requirement of 2 percent of GDP by the summit in The Hague. However, he noted that this is not enough for NATO to effectively defend its territory.

- We really are very excited about the fact we will see a NATO which is spending so much more on defence, particularly the European and Canadian side, more and more making sure that we equalise with what the U.S. is spending. And this is necessary to make sure that we stay safe. So this is really a NATO which is stronger, which is fairer, which is also more lethal in terms of being able to defend NATO territory - said NATO Secretary General.