NATO secretary general on war in Ukraine, President Trump’s meeting with Putin and Crimea

(CBS, KYMA/KECY) - NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte spoke with Margaret Brennan on Face the Nation Sunday about the ongoing war in Ukraine.

When asked if Russian President Vladimir Putin is still a "direct threat to the Western alliance, or is he showing some signs of dropping his aggression," Rutte said:

"He is still the main threat to the Western alliance, there's no doubt. And I think it is very good that President Trump will test him, and we'll see how far he can get on Friday, starting this process. He basically broke the deadlock, President Trump, in February, starting the dialogue with Putin. I think that was crucial. We had a great NATO Summit under his leadership, committing to 5% defense spending, so that there is a clear signal to our main threat, which is Russia, that we are serious. And then he opened the floodgates, three weeks ago, of American lethal weapons to be delivered into Ukraine, coordinated by NATO and, of course, the secondary sanctions. He started them with putting them on India, which is one of the biggest buyers of Russian oil and gas."

During the interview, Brennan and Rutte talked about President Donald Trump's upcoming meeting with Putin later this week.

President Trump and Putin are planning on meeting in Alaska, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.

Trump confirmed on social media the meeting will take place in Alaska on Friday, August 15.

One senior White House official told CBS News the planning for next Friday's summit is still fluid, and that it is still possible that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy could end up being involved in some way.

The White House said earlier this week that Mr. Trump is open to meeting with both Putin and Zelenskyy, but Trump suggested Friday he may start by just meeting with Putin, telling reporters he plans to "start off with Russia."

Trump also said he believes "we have a shot at" organizing a trilateral meeting with the Ukrainian and Russian leaders.

Russian businessman and Putin adviser Kirill Dmitriev acknowledged the planned meeting in a post on X that didn't mention the Russia-Ukraine War. He suggested the U.S. and Russia should "partner on environment, infrastructure & energy in Arctic and beyond."

When asked if he was comfortable with Ukraine being left out of the negotiations happening on August 15, Rutte said:

"What will happen on Friday is testing Putin by President Trump. And I commend him for the fact that he organized this meeting. I think it is important. And, obviously, when it comes to peace talks, the ceasefire and what happens after that on territories, on security guarantees for Ukraine, Ukraine will have to be, and will be, involved. But on Friday, it is important to see how serious Putin is. And the only one who can do that is President Trump. So, it's really crucial that a meeting takes place. It will not be the final say on this. There will not be the final deal on this. Of course, Ukraine will have to be involved in Europe, but it is important to start the next phase of this process, putting pressure on the Russians exactly as President Trump has been doing over the last six months."

Brennan followed up by asking Rutte if Russia is still demanding Ukraine to drop its bid for NATO membership, to which he said:

"I cannot go into all the details, that would be strange. But let me assure you the following, that we are all on the same page; the Americans, the Europeans and Ukraine, that when it comes to the geo-strategic position of Ukraine in the future, when it comes to whatever is the size of the Ukrainian military when it comes to NATO's posture on the eastern flank in countries like Latvia and Lithuania, Estonia, Finland, Poland, that Putin has absolutely no say on any of these issues."

Later in the interview, Brennan and Rutte talked about Crimea.

Brennan asked if the world is "preparing to allow Russia to hold on to Crimea, the Donbas, the eastern part of Ukraine, but then just not legally recognize it," and Rutte responded saying, "No. What I'm saying is that, in the end, the issue of the fact that the Russians are controlling, at this moment, factually, a part of Ukraine has to be on the table, that any discussion going forward from there will be with Ukrainians deciding on what they want to do."

To watch more of Brennan's interview with Rutte, click here.