NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said Thursday that the US is "leading the peace effort" in Ukraine, adding that it is the only country powerful enough to do so.
Speaking ahead of a meeting of defense ministers in Brussels, Rutte said the US is exerting every form of pressure on Russia, praising the leadership of US President Donald Trump in "breaking the deadlock" with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Rutte's comments came a week after the US and Russia agreed to restore high-level military dialogue for the first time in more than four years.
He also said that the alliance remains united and committed, despite previous threats by Trump against Greenland, a territory of NATO ally Denmark.
Rutte has said that a "strong, conventional" US presence would remain in Europe, the Arctic and the Atlantic.
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"We are in this together," Rutte insisted.
Rutte's statement came a day after NATO launched a new military effort called Arctic Sentry aimed at improving security in the High North.
