NATO boss: Stop worrying about Trump

LONDON — NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte urged the international community to “stop worrying about a Trump presidency” and its implications for the war in Ukraine. 

Speaking on a visit to London, the NATO chief stressed that he knows Donald Trump well, saying of the U.S. Republican hopeful: “He understands completely and agrees with me that this fight to Ukraine is not only about Ukraine, it’s also about the safety and the future security of the United States.”

Rutte said he is personally “not worried” about a Trump win because he is “absolutely convinced that the U.S. is in this because they understand … the whole of the U.S. would be less secure if [Russian President Vladimir] Putin would be successful in Ukraine.”

Rutte’s comments could raise eyebrows in some European capitals. Trump has declined to say if he wants Ukraine to win its war with Russia, instead arguing he would quickly find a negotiated end to the conflict.

Rutte’s comments came as he took part in a three-way talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at No. 10 Downing Street as the Ukrainian leader embarks on a whistle-stop tour of Western capitals to push for extra support. 

After the meeting, Rutte told journalists it would be “up to individual allies” to decide whether to approve the use of long-range missiles to hit targets inside Russia, as Zelenskyy has long been pushing for.

“Let’s not focus on one weapon system,” he urged. “It will not be one weapon system which will make the change. I understand what Zelenskyy is asking, but at the same time he also agrees that there is a broader issue to be debated to make sure that they prevail.” 

Starmer’s spokesman told journalists the leaders’ discussion focused on “how we help Ukraine be in the strongest position going forward at this crucial time.”

He said: “We obviously want to put Ukraine in the strongest position, but no war has ever been won by a single weapon.” 

Zelenskyy was due to unveil his “victory plan” at a meeting of senior NATO leaders at the weekend. That meeting was postponed after U.S. President Joe Biden pulled out in order to oversee the U.S. government’s response to Hurricane Milton in Florida.