NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte will use his visit to the United States on Thursday 24 April to urge President Donald Trump’s administration not to pressure Ukraine into accepting a peace agreement against its will.

Source: Financial Times, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Three informed sources who spoke to the FT said that Rutte is expected to meet with US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Adviser Michael Waltz.

The NATO chief will argue that no peace deal should be made without taking Ukraine’s interests into account, as it would only strengthen Russia, the sources said.

He will also stress that imposing a settlement that is primarily favourable to Moscow could jeopardise the security of the whole of Europe, the FT added.

"The key message is making the Americans understand what’s at stake," one NATO diplomat told the newspaper on condition of anonymity.

Rutte will also discuss how best to coordinate the shift of most of NATO’s defence burden from the US to European armed forces, the sources said.

The Trump administration was reported to have provided Ukraine with a one-page document, described as a "final proposal" for a peace settlement, in Paris last week. Among other provisions, the US is reportedly prepared to recognise Russia's control over Ukrainian Crimea and ease sanctions against Moscow.

Zelenskyy reaffirmed that Ukraine does not recognise Russia's occupation of Crimea, which remains internationally recognised as Ukrainian territory.

The FT says some European officials are concerned that differences over Trump’s unilateral peace proposal – which includes US recognition of Crimea as part of Russia – could undermine transatlantic security and even derail the NATO summit scheduled for late June.

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