NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte criticized Russian leader Vladimir Putin regarding the Ukraine-Russia negotiations held in Istanbul this year. According to him, Russia did not bring "serious people" to the negotiations but instead brought a historian.
"I remember how you [Donald Trump] launched the negotiations in Istanbul together with Marco Rubio and Steve Witkoff. I was also in Turkey in May for NATO-related matters.
We really put pressure on the Ukrainians, and they sent a serious delegation. But the Russians came with some historian. He started explaining Russian history to us from the year 1250," Rutte said during a press conference with former U.S. President Donald Trump.
His critical remarks are said to be directed at Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky. Medinsky led the Russian delegation in the negotiations and holds a doctorate in historical sciences.
It is worth noting that in June, Rutte also emphasized that Putin himself, not Medinsky, should have attended the negotiations. "He has already been here twice. He wants to tell us the history of Russia and Ukraine starting from the 12th century," the NATO leader said at the time.
In response, Medinsky briefly stated: "There was no Ukraine in the 12th century."
