New Delhi, Oct. 23 -- NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte ahead of his meeting with US President Donald Trump in Washington on Wednesday (October 22), downplayed concerns of friction between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky following their tense White House talks last week.

Rutte said his meeting with Trump had been planned in advance and would focus on "delivering his vision on peace in Ukraine."

When asked by Sky News if his visit signaled that Trump's meeting with Zelensky was a "total disaster," Rutte dismissed the suggestion. "No, not at all. This was already planned before," he said.

He added that he had been in touch with Trump following what he called "the enormous success in Gaza." "We said let's have a meeting i...