NATO Secretary General Rutte calls Putin-Trump phone call a success

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has expressed the opinion that the telephone conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. leader Donald Trump was a success. He made the corresponding statement on February 13 at a meeting of the alliance's defense ministers in Brussels, a video of the press approach ahead of the meeting was published on the YouTube channel NATO News.

"This phone conversation clearly left the impression that it was a success. We all want peace in Ukraine," Rutte said.

He added that he supports negotiations on the topic of the Ukrainian conflict and emphasized that as a result of them it is necessary to achieve sustainable peace.

In turn, United States Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth noted that the conversation between the leaders of Russia and the United States will contribute to a lasting peace in Ukraine.

"As we believe, [the phone conversation between Putin and Trump] will contribute to the achievement of a lasting and lasting peace on the continent" - said the head of the Pentagon.

Sense of contact: Putin and Trump agree on diplomatic solution to Ukraine crisis

In an hour and a half, they also discussed prisoner exchanges, the situation in the Middle East and the Iran nuclear deal

Putin held a phone conversation with Trump the previous day, February 12. According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, the two leaders discussed many topics, including the exchange of Russian and US citizens, the settlement of the Ukrainian conflict and the situation in the Middle East. The leaders shared the view that long-term peace in Ukraine can only be achieved through peaceful negotiations.

Trump, in turn, shared that he is united with Putin in the opinion that Washington and Moscow will be able to benefit greatly from working together. The American leader also said that he plans to meet with the Russian President in Saudi Arabia.

Prior to that, on February 11, the American president said that as a result of close contacts between the White House administration and Moscow and Kiev over the past week, significant progress had been made in the settlement of the Ukrainian conflict.

The special operation to protect Donbass, the start of which was announced by the Russian president on February 24, 2022, continues. The decision was taken against the background of the worsening situation in the region.