NATO chief calls on Russia “to do more” to end war in Ukraine

He stated this in an interview with CBS News.

According to Rutte, during recent negotiations under the U.S. initiative, "the ball clearly is in the court of the Russians."

“They are not moving fast enough, is my impression, including the impression I'm getting from my American interlocutors, that Russia really has to do more to bring this war to an end,” the NATO Secretary General emphasized.

He emphasized that the Ukrainian government's position on a ceasefire is close to the American stance.

“The Ukrainians are really close to the American position. And we have to see how far the Americans can get this. But I am completely supporting that effort, because this war of protection, it was unsustainable in the long term, so many people dying, so much of the Ukrainian infrastructure being damaged, cities being destroyed. This got to end,” he stressed.

Rutte noted that he remains in constant contact with the U.S. side, emphasizing that the Trump administration is doing everything possible to bring about a ceasefire as soon as possible. However, in his view, "Russians also have to dance the tango, and at this moment they don't seem to do so."

• American billionaire Elon Musk expressed support for U.S. President Donald Trump's peace initiative to end Russia's war against Ukraine, calling it "brutal and inhumane."