Trump meeting is test for Putin, Ukraine to join future peace efforts, Rutte says
Editor's note: The article was expanded with additional information.
A planned meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will be a test for the Kremlin leader, and Ukraine will be involved in upcoming peace efforts if the summit goes well, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said Aug. 10.
"(W)hen it comes to peace talks, the ceasefire, and what happens after that on territories, on security guarantees for Ukraine, Ukraine will have to be and will be involved. But on Friday, it is important to see how serious Putin is," Rutte said in an interview with CBS News.
Trump and Putin are set to meet in Alaska on Aug. 15 as the U.S. intensifies efforts to broker a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia.
There will be no peace deal signed between Trump and Putin in Alaska without Ukraine's participation, Rutte noted.
"It will not be the final say on this. There will not be a final deal on this. Of course, Ukraine will have to be involved," he said.
"What will happen on Friday is testing Putin by President Trump. And I commend him for the fact that he organised this meeting," Rutte said.
The NATO leader described Putin as "the main threat to the Western alliance" amid Russia's war.
"(W)hen it comes to the geostrategic position of Ukraine in the future, when it comes to whatever is the size of the Ukrainian military, when it comes to NATO's posture on the eastern flank in countries like Latvia and Lithuania, Estonia, Finland, Poland, that Putin has absolutely no say on any of these issues," he said.
Leaders of Poland, the Baltic countries, and the Nordic countries have stressed the importance of Ukraine's presence at the negotiating table.
"I believe President Zelensky will be invited; there's some information emerging today that there's a chance President Zelensky will be present at President Trump's meeting with Putin," Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said, according to the Polish Press Agency.
"That would be the best solution, and I believe it will happen."
In a joint statement on Aug. 10, leaders of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, and Sweden said they welcome Trump's initiative to end the war but noted that a "diplomatic solution must safeguard the vital security interests of both Ukraine and Europe."
The Nordic and Baltic leaders also stressed that negotiations "can only take place in the context of a ceasefire" and that the "path to peace cannot be charted without Ukraine’s voice."
"No decisions on Ukraine without Ukraine, and no decisions on Europe without Europe," the leaders said in their statement, pledging continued support for Kyiv and adding that Russia must be consistently pressured to end the war.
Russia has issued maximalist demands to Kyiv in previous direct peace talks, including that Ukraine give up its NATO aspirations and demilitarize.
Months earlier, U.S. attempts to broker a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia failed. Kyiv and Moscow later held three rounds of direct peace talks in Istanbul, which were largely inconclusive.
In direct talks, Ukraine and Russia agreed to several prisoner exchanges, but progress toward a ceasefire was not made amid Russia's maximalist demands.
Trump previously announced an Aug. 8 deadline for Russia to reach a ceasefire in its war against Ukraine. Despite Russia's refusal to halt hostilities, Trump never imposed sanctions on Moscow once the deadline passed.
