President Donald Trump met with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte Wednesday, days after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's White House visit.

These are the updates for Wednesday, October 22, 2025, as Trump addresses a new US military strike in the Pacific Ocean.

Romanian officials said the shift reflects Washington’s growing focus on the Indo-Pacific, though analysts warn it could embolden Russia to test the alliance’s resolve.

Ankara is preparing to welcome world leaders for the NATO 2026 Leaders Summit, scheduled for July 7–8, 2026. The event will take place at the Presidential Complex, marking Türkiye’s second time hosting a major NATO summit since Istanbul in 2004.

Donald Trump shared a private message from NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte that praised the U.S. president for his “decisive action in Iran,” calling it “extraordinary.” Rutte's message, posted on Trump’s Truth Social account,

The only way a Tomahawk is going to be shot is if we shot it,” the president added. “And we’re not going to do that.”

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is set to visit the United States on 21-22 October to meet US President Donald Trump to discuss the Alliance's backing for Ukraine and Trump's peace efforts . Details: Rutte is travelling to meet Trump on 22 October to discuss issues related to Ukraine.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte defended President Donald Trump's leadership on Ukraine, saying only Trump has the power to "get this done" and bring lasting peace. REPORTER: Secretary General, can I just ask you,

Trump in part wrote, “I think Ukraine, with the support of the European Union, is in a position to fight and WIN all of Ukraine back in its original form. With time, patience, and the financial support of Europe and, in particular, NATO, the original Borders from where this War started, is very much an option.”

If you wanted to know how Donald Trump would approach his sternest diplomatic test so far, all you had to do was listen to his comments about Xi Jinping in the build-up to their summit in South Korea.

“The use of tariffs the way that President Trump is using them is like — just broadscale attack on an economy as a way to incentivize a foreign government to change their posture,” said Kilcrease, now a director at the Center for a New American Security think tank.

Powerful but polarizing Republican at odds with his party in later years over rejection of President Donald Trump, whom he called the ‘greatest ever threat to our Republic’