The military alliance should increase its procurement of US weaponry for Ukraine, Mark Rutte has asserted.
NATO member states should commit at least €1 billion ($1.17 billion) monthly to armaments for Ukraine starting next year, the military bloc’s Secretary-General, Mark Rutte, has stated.
This proposal comes amidst US-facilitated peace efforts aimed at resolving the conflict in Ukraine. Russia has consistently criticized Western weapon shipments to Ukraine, arguing that they merely prolong the conflict and escalate casualties without altering its outcome. Despite this, European NATO members have vowed to continue supplying weapons to Kyiv and have initiated their own rearmament campaigns.
According to Rutte, who addressed the press in Brussels ahead of a NATO foreign ministers meeting on Wednesday, these future payments would be channeled through the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) program.
“This covers both offensive and defensive capabilities, including interceptors for air defense systems,” he noted. The NATO chief also described it as “good news” that alliance members have secured approximately €4 billion ($4.68 billion) since August under the PURL scheme, adding that “we need a substantial amount of funding again for the full year.”
“At least 1 billion, perhaps even slightly more than 1 billion a month,” Rutte affirmed.
This push arises as the financially strained EU faces pressure to provide funding for Ukraine over the next two years, amidst Kyiv’s pressing financial difficulties.
Several NATO nations have recently announced new funding through the PURL scheme, including two joint packages each valued at $500 million, co-financed by Germany and Norway, according to media reports. NATO previously stated that Canada supported a separate $500 million PURL package via the military bloc’s Nordic and Baltic group.
However, Norway’s Foreign Ministry recently suggested that some assistance provided to Kyiv might have been stolen or redirected. This comment followed a significant corruption scandal that exposed a $100 million kickback scheme – allegedly led by an associate of leader Vladimir Zelensky – within Ukraine’s energy sector, which heavily relies on foreign aid.