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The United States and President Donald Trump are playing a crucial role in supporting Ukraine, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said today, June 18, ahead of a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels, according to FREEДОМ correspondent Vitalii Syzov.
“Donald Trump is doing a great deal for Ukraine. First of all, he broke the deadlock in negotiations with Putin. He resumed dialogue with him in order to bring this process to an end. Only an American president could have done that. He has worked consistently on this together with Jared Kushner, Steve Witkoff, and Marco Rubio. That is one example,” Rutte said.
Speaking about military assistance for Ukraine, including interceptors and Patriot air defense systems, Rutte noted that such support has also been made possible through the efforts of the U.S. president, while being financed by European and Canadian allies.
“And this critical flow of assistance is reaching Ukraine right now. All of it is necessary to protect cities and critical infrastructure. So the United States is present everywhere. Most importantly, at the G7 summit all leaders reached common conclusions regarding their shared support for Ukraine,” the NATO chief said.
Rutte also stated that the U.S.-backed PURL initiative for purchasing American weapons for Ukraine continues to function effectively.
“Discussions are constantly ongoing with all allies to ensure that Ukraine has everything it needs. And when it comes to the critical flow of equipment still arriving from the United States to Ukraine, such as interceptors and missiles for Patriot systems, this is vital for Kyiv,” he said.
The NATO Secretary General thanked the United States for continuing deliveries of critical military equipment to Ukraine.
“Obviously, I will continue engaging with each of the 32 NATO allies and all relevant organizations to ensure that we secure the necessary resources. At this moment, we are in a good position,” Rutte emphasized.
Earlier, Rutte stated that Ukraine should not restrain itself from conducting strikes on Russian territory for the sake of potential peace negotiations.
Read also: Zelenskyy, Rutte discuss air defense production and preparations for NATO summit
