"So far, (Russian President Vladimir) Putin has only played the peacemaker when it suits him, to buy time to continue his war," Rutte said in a speech in Berlin.
US President Donald Trump "wants to end the bloodshed now" and is "the only one who can get Putin to the negotiating table", Rutte said.
"So, let's put Putin to the test. Let's see if he really wants peace, or if he prefers the slaughter to continue."
Ukrainian officials on Wednesday said they had sent Washington an updated plan for ending Russia's invasion, building on a 28-point proposal made by US President Donald Trump last month.
The original plan, which involved Ukraine surrendering land that Russia has not captured, was seen by Kyiv and its European allies as caving in to too many of Russia's hardline demands.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said further talks with the Americans were planned this weekend and an international meeting on Ukraine "could take place at the beginning of next week".
Rutte said later, in a panel discussion: "Do I think that when it comes to Ukraine, the US and Europe (can) get to one page? Yes, I'm positive.
"I think we can. Am I sure that the Russians will accept? I don't know. This is the test."
The NATO chief also accused China of being "Russia's lifeline" in the war.
"China wants to prevent its ally from losing in Ukraine," he said in his speech at a security conference.
"Without China's support, Russia could not continue to wage this war."
China, one of Russia's main trading partners, says it has a neutral position in the Ukraine conflict, but has refrained from condemning Russia.
Rutte also warned of the financial consequences for NATO of a Ukraine "under the boot of Russian occupation".
"NATO would have to substantially increase its military presence along the eastern flank," he said. "And allies would have to go much further and faster on defence spending and production."
Ukrainian drones over Russia trigger airspace shutdowns, flight delays
Moscow (AFP) Dec 11, 2025 -
Russia shot down nearly 300 Ukrainian drones overnight, one of Kyiv's largest attempted attacks of the four-year war and a barrage that forced Moscow airports to temporarily close, Russian officials said Thursday.
Of the 287 drones "intercepted and shot down" by Russian air defences, 32 were headed towards Moscow, the defence ministry said in a statement posted on Telegram.
All four airports in the Russian capital temporarily suspended flights, according to Rosaviatsia, Russia's civil aviation authority.
"We've been at the airport for over 12 hours now," Raisa, who lives in the Moscow region and declined to give her surname, told AFP while waiting at the capital's Vnukovo airport with her three children.
Their flight was being postponed "by an hour every hour", the 40-year-old doctor said.
The airspace closures, later lifted, also forced the plane of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, due in Moscow, to divert to Saint Petersburg.
Pashinyan's aircraft "did not land at night due to the temporary closure of Moscow's airspace", his spokeswoman, Nazeli Baghdasaryan, said on Facebook.
Pashinyan flew to the Russian capital later on Thursday, his press service later said.
Ukraine, whose airspace has been completely closed since Russia launched its offensive in February 2022, said Moscow had fired a total of 151 drones and three missiles overnight, according to its air force.
The head of the eastern Poltava regional military administration said that Russia had attacked local energy facilities, causing fires.
In an interview last week, the CEO of Ukraine's state-run gas operator told AFP the country may be facing its toughest winter of the war.
Naftogaz CEO Sergiy Koretsky said this year's strikes have been more intense and started earlier in the winter, compounding the impact.
According to an AFP analysis of Ukrainian air force statistics, Russia has launched record numbers of drones and missiles at Ukraine in recent months.
Ukraine and its allies have been pushing for a plan to end Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II, with officials in Kyiv on Wednesday telling AFP that an updated proposal had been submitted to Washington.
Zelensky says Donetsk among key disagreements in peace talks
Kyiv, Ukraine (AFP) Dec 11, 2025 -
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday the status of the eastern Donetsk region and future control over the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant were the two key points of contention in talks with Washington on a deal to end the war with Russia.
He said Washington was still pushing for Kyiv to make big territorial concessions to Russia to halt the conflict that started with Moscow's February 2022 invasion and that has killed tens of thousands.
Washington wants only Ukraine to withdraw its troops from parts of the Donetsk region, where it would install a demilitarised buffer between the two armies, Zelensky said.
"They see Ukrainian forces leaving the territory of Donetsk region, and the supposed compromise is that Russian forces do not enter this territory ... which they already call a 'free economic zone'," Zelensky told reporters.
That, he added, remained one of the key points of contention in the talks with the United States that have intensified after Washington drafted a plan to resolve the conflict that was seen as heeding to much of Russia's demands.
"We have two key points of disagreement: the territory of Donetsk and everything related to it, and the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. These are the two topics we continue to discuss," Zelensky told reporters, including from AFP, at a briefing.
He also said that any potential compromise on territory should be decided by a popular vote.
"I believe that the people of Ukraine will answer this question. Whether through elections or a referendum, there must be a position from the people of Ukraine," he told journalists.
Ukraine said on Wednesday it handed over the updated plan for ending the Russian invasion to Washington but said it was not disclosing details of its amendments pending the American side's reaction.
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