U.S. President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte met Thursday to discuss current events affecting the United States and NATO, including the war in Ukraine.

President Trump is scheduled to meet with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte around noon on Thursday. The meeting comes as Trump demands that European countries spend more on their own security, including the ongoing costs of supporting Ukraine’s defensive war against Russia.

The head of NATO is expected to speak with President Donald Trump in Washington, D.C., on Thursday. The meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte comes after Trump called on European allies to contribute more to the alliance’s defense fund.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that his special envoy Steve Witkoff is in serious discussions with Russia about ending the war in Ukraine. “Hopefully they’ll do the right thing,” Trump told reporters during an Oval Office meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.

The Trump administration said it was optimistic about the possibility of a ceasefire in the Ukraine conflict even as President Vladimir Putin appeared to reject US calls for immediate halt to the violence.

Russia President Vladimir Putin agreed in principle on Thursday with the US proposal for a ceasefire in its war against Ukraine. President Donald Trump prepared to host NATO secretary general Mark Rutte amid deep concerns by members of the 32-member transatlantic military alliance that Trump’s apparent pivot toward Russia makes him untrustworthy.