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Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at a surprise meeting between NATO chief Mark Rutte and U.S. President Donald Trump, Israeli efforts to annex West Bank settlements, and North Korea’s weapons posturing.

NATO chief Mark Rutte traveled to Washington for a last-minute meeting on Wednesday with U.S. President Donald Trump, just a day after a planned Budapest summit between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin fell through. According to NATO spokesperson Allison Hart, the purpose of the meeting is to “discuss Ukraine, both NATO’s support as well the president’s efforts to bring the war to a just and lasting end.”

Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at a surprise meeting between NATO chief Mark Rutte and U.S. President Donald Trump, Israeli efforts to annex West Bank settlements, and North Korea’s weapons posturing.

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NATO chief Mark Rutte traveled to Washington for a last-minute meeting on Wednesday with U.S. President Donald Trump, just a day after a planned Budapest summit between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin fell through. According to NATO spokesperson Allison Hart, the purpose of the meeting is to “discuss Ukraine, both NATO’s support as well the president’s efforts to bring the war to a just and lasting end.”

Ahead of Rutte’s sit-down with Trump, the NATO leader brushed off concerns about his trip to Washington. He said the meeting should not be interpreted as a signal of anxiety after Trump’s meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last Friday ended with no tangible peace progress. Instead, Rutte characterized that discussion as a success, despite Zelensky not receiving the long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles that Trump had once considered selling to Kyiv.

Rutte also showered Trump with praise, mirroring past comments that stoked the U.S. president’s ego. “He’s the only one who can get this done,” Rutte said of Trump on Wednesday. This is their fourth meeting since the start of Trump’s second term; Rutte last visited the White House in August alongside Zelensky and six other European........

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