Brussels (EFE).- NATO foreign ministers continued to support Ukraine by contributing 1 billion euros to the initiative to purchase American weapons for Kyiv on Wednesday, while maintaining their confidence that the United States’ diplomatic efforts for peace will have results.
“It is in total six countries, maybe even seven, depending on some final decisions in their capital, have committed to the PURL program is also testimony that we are getting there, and that the burden-sharing is now in a much better place than it was only, let’s say four or six weeks ago,” said NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at a press conference after the ministerial meeting.
During the meeting in Brussels, Germany, Norway, Poland, and the Netherlands announced their participation in two new packages, each valued at 500 million euros, within the framework of the PURL initiative promoted by NATO in July. This initiative allows European allies and Canada to purchase weapons from the US to send to Ukraine.
As of Wednesday, Ottawa also announced that it would contribute 200 million dollars to an upcoming PURL package.
Rutte indicated that NATO partner countries New Zealand and Australia will participate in the program.
“Ukraine continues to show incredible resilience. Putin believes he can outlast us. But we are not going anywhere. Today is yet another clear sign that he is wrong. We are strengthening our support to Ukraine and increasing pressure on Russia,” said the Dutch politician. He also spoke about the pressure on the Russian people who are witnessing the loss of 20,000 soldiers per month in Ukraine.
According to Rutte, the initiative has already raised 4 billion dollars, and he hopes to reach 5 billion by late 2025. He considers that the pace of contributing 1 billion dollars per month through PURL must be maintained in 2026.
“Everyone perceives that we are at a critical moment and that practical actions are needed now, not tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, to stabilize the front, to strengthen the Ukrainian position at the negotiating table,” said the Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Andriy Sibiga, who highlighted the support of his partners so that Ukraine does not have to make concessions in its aspirations to join NATO nor have to accept that its borders are changed by force.
Support for US Negotiations
When asked if he feared the negotiations would break down or Washington would stop sending weapons to Ukraine, Rutte was clear: “US is very consistent in support for Ukraine.”
The secretary general affirmed that “there is only one person in the world who has been able to break the deadlock when it comes to the war in Ukraine, and that is the American president, Donald J. Trump.”
“He started in February to get engaged, and he is engaged up to and including today, and his team is engaged, including Steve Witkoff, Marco Rubio, and all the key players on the American side,” he said of the White House special envoy and the Secretary of State.
In his opinion, this action is crucial because the US is by far NATO’s largest ally and the world’s most powerful nation.
On Wednesday, Rutte insisted that he is in permanent contact with Rubio and excused him for not attending the allied ministerial meeting that day. However, Rutte refused to give details about the state of US conversations with Ukraine and Russia.
Rutte emphasized that Russia’s conduct was “increasingly reckless behavior when it comes to NATO, such as violating our airspace, conducting cyberattacks, and deploying spy ships to map allies’ undersea infrastructure.”
“These incidents underscore the need for unwavering vigilance. We must continue to respond with strength, unity, and resolve,” he stated.
He also said there is “no reason to debate” the alliance’s current strategic concept, which identifies Russia as its greatest threat.
On Wednesday, allied ministers addressed an internal report on China, and Rutte said: “We cannot be naive.”
“We know they’re thinking about Taiwan. And we also have the absolute conviction that if China would ever move against Taiwan, that first Xi Jinping (Chinese President) will call Vladimir Putin and ask him to keep us busy in this part of the world,” he said. EFE
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