Trump to attend Nato summit, White House confirms
The White House on Tuesday said US President Donald Trump would attend the Nato summit this month, amid his administration's efforts to end the war in Ukraine and have alliance members increase their defence spending.
The high-profile meetings, which will be held in The Hague from June 24-25, will come shortly after Mr Trump is set to attend the Group of Seven leaders' summit in Canada, where allies are also expected to discuss a peace deal that would end Russia's war in Ukraine.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the President "remains positive at the progress" in the talks.
"The President does not want to see this war prolonged," she told reporters. "He wants the fighting to stop, he wants people to stop dying, and he wants this to be solved at the negotiating table."
On Monday, delegates from Russia and Ukraine met briefly in Istanbul for a new round of talks. The day before, Kyiv unleashed a surprise drone offensive that hit Russian heavy bombers and surveillance planes
Mr Trump took office this year on a promise to swiftly end the war in Ukraine and end US military aid to Kyiv. He has also advanced an "America First" approach to foreign policy, questioning continued US membership in Nato.
He has pushed for members of the alliance to spend larger rates of their gross domestic products on defence, saying European states, which are geographically closer to Ukraine, should do more to support Kyiv.
At the same time, Mr Trump has resisted calls, including from his own Republican Party, to impose additional sanctions on Russia as pressure to agree to a ceasefire.
"The President has spoken about his position on sanctions on Russia," Ms Leavitt said. "He has smartly kept this as a tool in his toolbox, if necessary."
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