The following is an interview transaction with NATO General Secretary Mark Rute, aired on 10 August 2025 on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brain”.
Margaret Brainon: We now turn to NATO General Secretary, Mark Rute, who include us from the Hague in the Netherlands. Welcome back to face the nation.
NATO General Secretary Mark Rute: Margaret, coming back to the show is good. Good morning.
Margaret Brainan: Good morning. Well, Mr. General Secretary, big picture here; Is Vladimir Putin of Russia still a direct threat to the Western alliance, or is he showing some signs of leaving his aggression?
General Secretary Rute: He is still the main threat to the Western alliance, there is no doubt. And I think it’s great that President Trump will test him, and we will see how far he can be on Friday while starting this process. He originally began a conversation with Putin, Dedlock, President Trump in February. I think it was important. Our leadership was a great NATO summit, which was committed to 5% defense spending, so that our main threat is a clear indication, which is Russia, that we are serious. And then he coordinated the American deadly weapons, coordinated by NATO, and of course, secondary sanctions to transport it to Ukraine three weeks ago. He started with putting them in India, one of the biggest buyers of Russian oil and gas.
Margaret Brainon: Okay, it is definitely a ground task. There is a matter of concern, as you know, among some critics, in this conference room in Alaska, we are going to see the moment of 1938. Where, in an attempt to stop a war immediately, the ground work is placed for another large conflict, as the concessions are given. Are you comfortable with Ukraine to be excluded from these talks on Friday?
General Secretary Rute: What will happen on Friday is Testing Putin by President Trump. And I appreciate them for the fact that they held this meeting. I think this is important. And, of course, when it comes to peace talks, the ceasefire and what happens after that, on the areas, on the safety guarantee for Ukraine, Ukraine will have to be there, and it will be involved. But on Friday, it is important to see how serious Putin is. And only one who can do so is President Trump. So, it is really important that a meeting takes place. This will not be the final to say on this. There will be no final deal on this. Of course, Ukraine will have to join Europe, but it is important to start the next phase of this process, pressurizing the Russians that President Trump has been for the last six months.
Margaret Brainon: You are on these calls with President Trump, and I know that he discussed the messenger Vikoff with Vladimir Putin this week. Can you tell us, is Russia still demanding that Ukraine leaves its bid for NATO membership?
General Secretary Rute: Okay, of course, I cannot go into all details, it will be strange. But I give you the following assurance that we are all on the same page; Americans, European and Ukraine, that when it comes to the geopolitical status of Ukraine in the future, whatever the size of the Ukrainian army, when it comes to NATO’s posture on Eastern Flaunks in countries like Latvia and Lithuania, Estonia, Finland, Poland, Poland, Poland,, it is not at all.
Margaret Brainon: Well, you have said that in the past there is a need to give strong security guarantee for Ukraine. Who is going to provide if it is not NATO?
General Secretary Rute: Obviously, this is a discussion that has been going on for a few months. We all pray for the moment when the ceasefire occurs, and is expected to have a successful peace deal, but at least a ceasefire. And led by European, French and British and NATO, have been involved in those negotiations, but clearly under the leadership of the United Kingdom Prime Minister Macron of France, in close collaboration with the US, discussing, is discussing, post-cash, post-pose-deals, how to ensure that security guarantees are given? And this will also be important-Fried post-Friday will also be, if it will take the Friday session for more serious peace talks, as when it comes in the area, it will always run by hand with safety guarantee for Ukraine.
Margaret Brainon: So, I think the representatives of NATO were heard in that meeting with Vice President Vance and European National Security Advisors yesterday. NATO is coordinating the distribution of weapons purchased by NATO members to help Ukraine. About one billion in military aid, I understand, is convenient from America to Ukraine. Are there such schemes that delivery of those weapons will continue, even if what happens on Friday?
General Secretary Rute: Absolutely, they will continue. Therefore, we had the first two packages made by Dutch and then Scandinavians. I expect further announcements in the coming days and weeks. And this is important. Originally, President Trump, as I said, re -opening the flood of fatal military aid in Ukraine. Payed by European and Canada, which I think is only logical and fair. And this process has definitely started, what Europeans are already doing, including investing in defense industrial base in Ukraine. And, as you said, NATO is coordinating all this through our orders in Visbaden, ensuring that Ukraine needs to stay in the fight and stay in the best position, when it comes to interaction on a ceasefire, a peace deal occurs.
Margaret Brainan: And is it not for conversation on Friday?
General Secretary Rutte: My full firm belief on Friday is that this President Trump is making sure that Putin is serious, and if he is not, it will stop there. If he is serious, the process will continue from Friday. Ukraine is involved, included Europeans. And the US is already coordinating, as you said, in London last night, with the United Kingdom Foreign Minister Lammy, NATO in the European Commission and senior officials of European countries, with the Vice President, to ensure that we are all on the same page. Putin will never be able to divide the alliance. The success of President Trump’s biggest foreign policy is NATO Summit. A combined NATO, a joint alliance, and Putin will never be found between us.
Margaret Brainon: Well, we have to take President Trump to his promise, and on Friday, when he spoke in front of the cameras, he said that both Ukraine and Russia would be swapped for some swapping for the betterment of both Ukraine and Russia. I mean, you know, Ukraine does not have Russian land, and Russia has about 20% of Ukraine. What is he talking about?
General Secretary Rute: Clearly, what will happen on the table when the real peace talks, the ceasefire will reduce the discussion, this is the issue, on one hand, the guarantee of safety, on the other hand, to deal with the factual situation how the Russians have caught in the Ukrainian region at this time. It is important to important here that when it comes to this holding of the Ukrainian region, that they can be a factual situation that they are doing so, but we can never accept that in a legal sense, as it, as it is, as it is said, a de jor senses, as you know in the middle of 1940 and 1991, as any time in 1940 and 1991, in the middle of 1940 and 1991, he accepts a person in the middle of 1940 and 1991, in the middle of 1940 and 1991 that he accepts a single meaning, a de Jyoor, a de Jyoor, a de joy fact. So all these issues will be on the table, hopefully, after Friday, if Putin is serious, and Putin will have to be committed to sitting with Zelanceci. He cannot do this through President Trump. Finally, it should be, as President Trump himself said, three-way conversations, at least, have been heavily included by Europeans.
Margaret Brain: So, do I think what are you saying here correctly? When you are talking about legal recognition vs. real facts, are you saying that, originally, the world is preparing to allow Russia to catch the eastern part of Crimea, Donbas, Ukraine, but then not just legally recognizing it?
General Secretary Rutte: No. What I am saying is that, in the end, the issue of the fact that the dandruff is controlling, in this moment, a part of Ukraine should be on the table, that any discussion that will be going ahead with there will be with Ukrainian people who they want to do in words –
Margaret Brainon: Okay, because it seems that you are saying that they do not have to withdraw their soldiers.
General Secretary Rutte: Apparently, they have to do, but factually, they are controlling a portion of Ukraine at this time, as you said. And as Ukrainian has said earlier, if a ceasefire discussion happens as soon as possible, and it is expected that a conversation on a peace deal, then there will be a debate on how to take it forward in the present line of contact. But it is important to know that when it comes to the geopolitical position of Ukraine, their sovereignty, there will be no violation of it, and it always decides Ukraine only decides what they want to do or not.
Margaret Brainan: All Right, Secretary Rutte, thank you for your time.
