Rutte: Alaska meeting is also a test for Putin, Trump wants to end the war

(Patria) - Mark Rutte, NATO Secretary General, said that the meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, which is expected to take place in Alaska on Friday, will be an important test for the Russian president.

"Friday will be important because it will be about testing Putin - how serious he is in his intention to end this terrible war," Rutte told ABC News.

He also stated that he "hopes the meeting will be a step towards comprehensive negotiations on ending the war."

"There will be the issue of territory, of course the issue of security guarantees, but also the absolute need to recognize that Ukraine decides its own future, that Ukraine must be a sovereign state that decides its own geopolitical future, of course, without restrictions regarding its own number of soldiers. And that NATO has no restrictions on its presence on the eastern flank," Rutte added.

He praised Trump, describing him as a "peacemaker."

"The president wants to end this. He wants to stop the terrible loss of life," Rutte said.

The NATO chief also acknowledged the reality that Russia controls part of Ukraine's territory from the pre-war period.

"The question will be how to proceed after a ceasefire, including what that means in terms of security guarantees for Ukraine," he said.

Rutte also commented on the possibility that Russia retains control over part of Ukraine that is under its occupation.

"When it comes to this whole issue of territory, when it comes to recognition, for example, perhaps in some future agreement that Russia de facto, factually, controls part of Ukraine's territory, that must be a factual recognition, not a political de jure recognition," he said.

In recent days, Trump has suggested "some exchange of territories" as part of a possible peace agreement.

However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has refused to cede any part of Ukrainian territory, especially the eastern Donbas, in order to achieve a ceasefire, and emphasized that Kyiv must be present in the negotiations.

Several European countries also believe that there should be no peace negotiations without Ukraine's presence.

And while Rutte praised the president regarding the upcoming meeting, former Trump national security advisor John Bolton was critical of Trump's approach towards Putin.

"I think Trump has already made several mistakes – first, by holding the meeting on American soil, thereby legitimizing the leader of a pariah state. Second, he allowed Putin to gain the advantage of the first move by putting his peace plan on the table before Trump," Bolton said.

Also speaking to ABC News, Bolton stated that this meeting is an opportunity for Putin.

"What Putin gains the most is the opportunity, in private, to try once again to work his 'magical' approach on Trump, applying that KGB training. Intentionally or unintentionally, he pushed Trump further than Trump wanted to go. And you saw the reaction. What Putin wants back is not so much the lifting of sanctions, but the re-establishment of relations with Trump. We'll see if he gets it," Bolton added.