June 9, 2025 - 6:05pm
Only Donald Trump was able to “break the deadlock and start the dialogue” with Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to Nato Secretary-General Mark Rutte.
Speaking at Chatham House in London, the former Dutch Prime Minister praised the US President’s diplomacy since coming into office in January. “He broke the deadlock when it comes to Ukraine, he broke the deadlock with Russia,” Rutte said. “And I’m of the opinion that it was only the American President who was able to do this, to start the dialogue again with President Putin on how to end this terrible war and he did.”
Rutte’s comments come as Trump’s plans to end the war swiftly have hit numerous roadblocks. On 2 June, a second round of talks between Ukraine and Russia failed to result in a peace agreement or even a temporary ceasefire. On 6 June, Russia launched what it described as a “massive” aerial bombardment of Kyiv, killing five and injuring 80. The Kremlin said it was in response to “terrorist acts by the Kyiv regime”, after Ukraine attacked Russian military sites. Last night, Russia fired a record 479 drones at Ukraine in an overnight barrage.
Last week, the US President said an hour-long call with his Russian counterpart would not lead “to immediate peace”, even suggesting that it may be better to let Russia and Ukraine “fight for a while”. Still, Rutte praised the US leader for his role in the negotiations. “And no criticism of his predecessor [Joe Biden], I respect all the politicians in the US and we work with everybody […] But him doing this is incredibly important because it is the only way to bring the Russians to a position where they want to end this.”
Rutte also dismissed the idea that Trump’s foreign policy is volatile and that his “America First” agenda could threaten Europe’s safety. “It is clear that he closely coordinates with European allies including the UK Prime Minister,” he said. The Nato chief also said he did not fear the US removing its security umbrella from Europe. “It is in America’s interest to have a safe Atlantic, Arctic and Europe,” he said. “And they have more things to think about like the Indo-Pacific and the Middle East and sometimes Africa, so it’s only logical that we [Nato] spend more for them to pivot more to the Indo-Pacific.”
It is not the first time Rutte has demonstrated a willingness to extend an olive branch to Trump. In 2018 when he was the Dutch Prime Minister, he became known as “the Trump whisperer” after talking the then US President down from a tirade against the European defence establishment. After Rutte’s intervention, Trump left the conference calling it “a very amazing two-day period in Brussels”.
Just last week, the Nato chief once again made a gesture to Trump, saying that the alliance would attempt to make each member spend 5% of GDP on defence, a figure the US President has consistently called for.
Today, Rutte explained why: “The world we thought we were entering after the fall of the Berlin Wall is definitely gone. The idea that we would have a peaceful living together with the Russians is gone.”
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