NATO chief: Zelenskyy driving effort to end war in Ukraine But “Russians must play ball”

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is committed to ending the war with Russia but that any peace deal hinges on Moscow’s willingness to engage seriously in negotiations.

“I spoke an hour and a half with President Zelenskyy in London,” Rutte said in an interview that aired on March 22.

“He wants to get the deal done, and we have to make sure that we also take this to the Russians, to make sure that they are willing to play ball.”

Rutte, who has been heavily involved in coordinating Western diplomatic pressure on both Kyiv and Moscow, said European and U.S. efforts were aligned in pushing for negotiations while balancing a range of political interests.

“It is the president putting that pressure together with the Europeans,” Rutte said, referring to Zelenskyy’s diplomatic push. “But again, he has to balance all these different interests. So I’m not going to comment on each element of what is happening here.”

Rutte described Zelenskyy’s role as pivotal in attempting to move peace talks forward, noting the Ukrainian leader’s early diplomatic breakthroughs with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“His effort to bring the war in Ukraine to a successful end is crucial,” he said. “He was the only one who was able to break the death lock with Putin when he made the first phone call in February last year, and he has consistently, with his team, done what is necessary to put that pressure, of course, on the Ukrainians, and they want to play ball.”

Rutte also reiterated that Ukraine’s willingness to negotiate was evident, saying: “They show this. They want to end the war, and are also with the Russians.”

By Aghakazim Guliyev