US President Donald Trump is all set to meet NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte this week on the heels of the US leader announcing plans to sell NATO allies weaponry that they can then pass on to Ukraine.
Rutte will be in Washington on Monday for two days
Rutte will be in Washington on Monday and Tuesday and plans to hold talks with Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as well as members of Congress.
“I'm gonna have a meeting with the secretary general who's coming in tomorrow," Trump told reporters as he arrived in Washington on Sunday night.
“But we basically are going to send them various pieces of very sophisticated (weapons) and they're gonna pay us 100% for them.”
Trump shows interest in helping Ukraine fight back Russia
A top ally of Trump, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, said on Sunday that the conflict is nearing an inflection point as Trump shows growing interest in helping Ukraine fight back Russia. It's a cause that Trump, who during his campaign made quickly ending the war a top priority, had previously dismissed as being a waste of US taxpayer money.
“In the coming days, you'll see weapons flowing at a record level to help Ukraine defend themselves,” Graham said on CBS' “Face the Nation."
He added, “One of the biggest miscalculations (Russian President Vladimir) Putin has made is to play Trump. And you just watch, in the coming days and weeks, there's going to be a massive effort to get Putin to the table."
The Rutte visit comes after Trump last week teased that he would make a “major statement” on Russia on Monday and as Ukraine struggles to repel massive and complex air assaults launched by Russian forces. Trump on Sunday declined to offer further details on his coming announcement.
“We're going to see what we will see tomorrow,” he said.
(With inputs from AP)
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