President Donald Trump hosted a historic summit at the White House Monday in an effort to bring Russia's war against Ukraine to an end and pushed European leaders to rise to the occassion.
"I had a very good meeting with distinguished guests, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, of Ukraine, President Emmanuel Macron, of France, President Alexander Stubb, of Finland, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, of Italy, Prime Minister Keir Starmer, of the United Kingdom, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, Friedrich Merz, President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and Secretary General of NATO, Mark Rutte, in the White House, which ended in a further meeting in the Oval Office, "Trump said after the meetings.
"During the meeting we discussed Security Guarantees for Ukraine, which Guarantees would be provided by the various European Countries, with a coordination with the United States of America. Everyone is very happy about the possibility of PEACE for Russia/Ukraine. At the conclusion of the meetings, I called President Putin, and began the arrangements for a meeting, at a location to be determined, between President Putin and President Zelenskyy," he continued. "After that meeting takes place, we will have a Trilat, which would be the two Presidents, plus myself. Again, this was a very good, early step for a War that has been going on for almost four years. Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, are coordinating with Russia and Ukraine. Thank you for your attention to this matter!"
During an interview with Fox News Monday night, NATO General Secretary Mark Rutte praised Trump's tough, but fair stance that NATO must live up to its defense obligations and commitments to the alliance. His demands started in 2015, when he first ran for the White House.
“@POTUS criticism of NATO was right. The U.S. was spending so much more on defense than the Europeans. At the NATO summit we committed collectively to 5% spending. Today the conversation was a conversation among friends.” — @SecGenNATO pic.twitter.com/Q7Ikjvv3qy
— Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) August 19, 2025
Rutte's visit to Washington D.C. came just two months after he welcomed Trump to the NATO Summit in The Hague, when coalition countries pledged to pay five percent for defense -- an increase from two percent. The increase makes NATO stronger than ever.
As Townhall reported at the time:
President Donald Trump touched down for the NATO Summit in The Hague Tuesday evening with key commitments to the alliance already secured.
“You are flying into another big success in The Hague this evening,” NATO Secretary Mark Rutte wrote in a note to Trump, which he posted on Truth Social. “It was not easy but we've got them all signed onto 5 percent!”
“Donald, you have driven us to a really, really important moment for America and Europe, and the world. You will achieve something NO American president in decades could get done,” Rutte continued. “Europe is going to pay in a BIG way, as they should, and it will be your win.”
NATO partners will vote Wednesday to make the five percent commitment official.