NATO сhief Rutte: Ukraine situation may improve in two weeks

He told Anadolu about this.

Rutte highly appreciated Turkey's contribution to efforts to achieve peace in Ukraine, especially mentioning its role in the peace negotiations in Istanbul. He called President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan an amazing leader in NATO, who is highly respected by his colleagues.

According to Rutte, the coming weeks open up new opportunities to improve the situation in Ukraine. He emphasized the role not only of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the United States, but also of Turkey, which plays a significant diplomatic role.

Separately, Rutte called on the EU to cooperate more closely with European countries that are not part of the bloc — in particular with Turkey, Great Britain and Norway — especially in the field of defense industry. He noted Turkey's key role in the production of weapons for the Alliance, stressing that factories in the United States would not be able to operate without cooperation with Turkish companies.

"The Turkish defense industry is crucial to the overall alliance," Rutte said.

"For example, in Texas, there are factories producing ammunition. They could not have done that without the close cooperation of the companies here in Türkiye. This is just one of many examples," he added.

Rutte also advocated a significant increase in defense spending by allies, given the long-term threat from Russia, China's military growth, and the risks of terrorism.

In conclusion, he expressed confidence that the next NATO summit in The Hague will be a sensational example of demonstrating the unity and determination of the Alliance — in particular thanks to the partnership with Turkey.

Negotiations with the Russian Federation: What is known

During a late-night address on May 11, Russian ruler Vladimir Putin stated that he was allegedly ready for direct talks with the Ukrainian side in Turkey as early as next week. At the same time, he ignored the idea of a 30-day ceasefire. In response, American leader Donald Trump said he would continue to work with both sides, and that the coming week would be “big.”

On May 12, the German government stated that if Russia did not agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine by the end of the day, European partners would begin preparing new sanctions. Meanwhile, the Kremlin said that “the language of ultimatums is unacceptable for Russia.”

Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to the head of the President’s Office, stated that on May 15 in Turkey, Zelenskyy would not meet with any other representative of the Russian Federation except leader Vladimir Putin. Later, the president himself confirmed that he would personally fly to Turkey to meet with Putin.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov stated that at the negotiations in Istanbul, Kyiv should recognize the “realities on the ground,” in particular—the inclusion of the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine into Russia.