NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is set to meet President Donald Trump this week on the heels of the U.S. leader announcing plans to sell NATO allies weaponry that it can then pass on to Ukraine.
NATO announced on Sunday that Rutte will be in Washington on Monday and Tuesday and would hold talks with Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio , and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as well as members of Congress . The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the visit.
A top ally of Trump, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, said Sunday that the conflict is nearing an inflection point as Trump shows growing interest in helping Ukraine fight back Russia. It's a cause that Trump, who during his campaign made quickly ending the war a top priority, had previously dismissed as being a waste of U.S. taxpayer money.
"In the coming days, you'll see weapons flowing at a record level to help Ukraine defend themselves," Graham said on CBS' "Face the Nation. He added, "One of the biggest miscalculations Putin has made is to play Trump. And you just watch, in the coming days and weeks, there's going to be a massive effort to get Putin to the table."
The Rutte visit comes as Trump last week teased that he would make a "major statement" on Russia on Monday and as Ukraine struggles to repel massive and complex air assaults launched by Russian forces .