NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is headed to Washington DC for meetings with President Donald Trump and other senior US officials, the Alliance announced on Sunday.
The visit, scheduled for July 14-15, comes as Trump is expected to make a significant statement regarding Russia on Monday, and amid plans for renewed military aid to Ukraine. According to a NATO press release, Rutte’s itinerary includes meetings with Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and members of Congress.
While NATO did not specify the reason for the visit, it follows Trump’s recent statements that he was considering supplying weapons to Ukraine through NATO.
Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) are also slated to meet with Rutte, as they announced in an interview with CBS. As Graham put it, “a turning point regarding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is coming,”
The move comes as the Trump administration has signaled a shift in its stance towards Russia’s war in Ukraine. After a surprising pause in critical weapons deliveries to Kyiv, which impacted Patriot missiles, among other weapons, the Pentagon has resumed shipments at Trump’s direction.
Trump last week also voiced increasing exasperation with Vladimir Putin, accusing him of unnecessarily prolonging the war. He then declared that Ukrainians “have to be able to defend themselves.”
Graham also told CBS that he expects “in the coming days, you will see weapons flowing at a record level to help Ukraine defend themselves.” While the specific weaponry to be sent remains unclear, it will primarily focus on defensive armaments.
Speaking to Kyiv Post on Sunday, a senior US administration official didn’t rule out that Trump’s upcoming meeting with Rutte will revolve around a plan for the US to sell weapons to NATO allies, who would then transfer them to Ukraine.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio also elaborated on this possibility on Thursday, suggesting that US-made weapons currently deployed with NATO allies in Europe could be transferred to Ukraine more quickly than direct shipments from the US, with European countries then purchasing replacements from the US.
In his CBS interview, Senator Blumenthal highlighted that “part of the plan that I think will be sought in this meeting involving the Secretary General [Rutte] is for Ukraine to be given assets by NATO and their purchasing those military assets from the United States.”
Razom for Ukraine, a US-based organization that advocates for Ukraine and provides humanitarian aid to the war-torn country, hailed Trump’s latest shift on the war in a statement last week, urging him to immediately provide Ukraine with all the weapons it urgently needs.
Speaking to Kyiv Post on Sunday, Daniel Balson, Razom’s public engagement director, recalled that just last week, the Russian military targeted and killed a one-year-old baby in Kherson with a drone.
“The Kremlin continues to kidnap thousands of Ukrainian children. This monstrous behavior cannot go unanswered,” Balson said, adding that “Putin’s organizing strategy has been to flatter President Trump to his face and mock him behind his back. That duplicitous strategy is now catching up to the Kremlin.”
“The way forward is clear: more weapons for Ukraine, robust sanctions against Russia, and a coordinated allied response that will show Putin that there is no military path to victory in Ukraine,” he said.
Beyond military aid, reportedly, Trump is also considering authorizing fresh funding for Ukraine for the first time since taking office in January, according to media reports.
A senior US official told Kyiv Post that Trump “is reserving his right” to use $3.85 billion in leftover Biden-era presidential drawdown authority without offering further details. The official also noted the President’s authority to seize approximately $5 billion in foreign Russian assets and direct them to Ukraine, a power not yet utilized by either the current or previous administration.
Trump is also facing bipartisan pressure to support legislation aimed at crippling Russia’s oil industry and imposing new sanctions. The proposed bill, championed by Graham and Blumenthal, includes a provision for a 500-percent tariff on goods from countries that continue to buy Russian oil, gas, uranium, and other exports, which would significantly impact major importers like China and India.
Graham on Sunday described the legislation as a “sledgehammer” that would give Trump “maximum flexibility” to impose tariffs and target countries supporting Russia’s war effort.
Blumenthal affirmed, “This has to be a critical moment for these sanctions, and bringing down this sledgehammer at this moment was emphasized by all of the European allies,” he said.
“The Sanctioning Russia Act 2025” has broad support in the Senate, but Republican leadership has been awaiting a green light from the White House, which has previously expressed some reservations.
Graham believes that “Congress is on the verge of passing the most consequential sanction package in the history of the country.”