NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said in an interview with BBC television that yesterday's altercation between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was “regrettable” and they should restore their relationship.

“I spoke twice on the phone with President Zelensky. I told him the following: we need to stick together, the United States, Ukraine, and Europe, to bring Ukraine to a lasting peace,” Rutte said.

Asked what Zelensky said about his meeting with Trump, Rutte said he was not at liberty to reveal what was discussed, “but I told him clearly that we really have to respect what President Trump has done for Ukraine,” referring to the U.S.-supplied advanced Javelin anti-tank weapon system.

Rutte added that without U.S. support, Ukraine would be “nowhere.”

“So I told him that we should really give Trump credit for what he did then, what America has done since then, and what America continues to do,” he noted.

Rutte also stressed that Trump is committed to a lasting peace in Ukraine, but the U.S. president wants Europe and Canada to spend more on defense.”