GENEVA

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said allies are united to achieve a "just and lasting" peace in Ukraine as he held a "great call" with US President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders ahead of Friday's meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska.

"We are united in pushing to end to this terrible war against Ukraine and achieve just and lasting peace," Rutte wrote on US social media platform X.

Voicing appreciation to Trump's leadership and close coordination with allies, he stressed: "The ball is now in Putin's court."

NATO has repeatedly expressed support for Kyiv’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, while backing military and economic aid for Ukraine from member states.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, for her part, said on X that the talks "strengthened the common ground for Ukraine" and pledged to "remain in close coordination."

She stressed that "nobody wants peace more than us (EU), a just and lasting peace."

Finnish President Alexander Stubb, who also joined the call, said leaders had "aligned views and unity" and were "working together for a ceasefire and a sustainable peace."

Stubb, in his X post, added that "the next few days and weeks can be decisive."