Sawt Falasteen - NATO chief brushes off concerns of Trump-Zelensky rift

Rutte, visiting Washington just days after Trump hosted Zelensky for tense talks, met with lawmakers on Capitol Hill before his own White House sit-down later in the day.

Asked if his visit to Washington was a sign that the Trump-Zelensky talks last week were a "disaster," Rutte said no, describing it as "a successful meeting."

Rather, his trip was planned beforehand and came about after he texted the US president seeking "to discuss how we now can deliver his vision on peace in Ukraine," the NATO chief told reporters after meeting with senators.

"I have total confidence in President Trump, and he's the only one who can get this done," Rutte said when asked if President Vladimir Putin had persuaded Trump to soften his stance on Russia.

Trump's "leadership here is crucial. He is clearly providing it and he has to dialogue with all the leaders. He has to dialogue with Putin, he has to dialogue with Zelensky," he added.

Republican Senator Thom Tillis, who spoke to reporters alongside Rutte, said discussions are still ongoing about the provision of long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine -- a weapon that Kyiv has sought to carry out precision strikes inside Russia.

Providing the missiles "would be significant, if for no other reason than we all know what their capabilities are and what their reach are," Tillis told AFP after the news conference.

"There may be a strategic advantage that perhaps even goes beyond the tactical," he said.

Trump met Zelensky last Friday at the White House, but the meeting -- which a senior Ukrainian official described as "tense" -- ended without an announcement on providing Tomahawks to Kyiv.

The talks were "not easy," the Ukrainian official said, adding that diplomatic efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war felt like they were being "dragged out" and "going in circles."

Trump was meanwhile due to meet with Putin in Budapest within weeks but shelved those plans on Tuesday, saying he did not want a "wasted" meeting.

A White House official said that there were now "no plans for President Trump to meet with President Putin in the immediate future."

Trump has counted on personal chemistry with Putin to reach a Ukraine peace deal, but has found himself frustrated time and again by the Russian leader.

H.Nasr--SF-PST