Only 6–7 European countries are actively purchasing U.S. weapons for Ukraine — Rutte
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated that currently only a small number of European countries are actively participating in the procurement of American weapons for Ukraine, and this situation requires immediate review.
The Alliance’s leader called for a more even distribution of the financial burden among all European allies.
According to him, expanding the circle of participants in arms procurement is a critically important step toward ensuring Ukraine’s stable defense.
Despite the limited number of active donors, the supply of modern anti-missile and anti-ballistic technology from the United States continues uninterrupted.
European partners are fully covering the financial costs of producing and transporting scarce ammunition.
“The flow of critically important American equipment to Ukraine continues. This includes vital anti-ballistic missile and missile defense support, including for Patriot systems, funded by European allies through the well-known PURL program. This continues. The Europeans are paying for it,” Rutte said.
The Alliance’s Secretary General drew attention to the unfair financial imbalance that exists within the military-political bloc.
He emphasized that he “wants to ensure that this burden is distributed more evenly” among all European states.
According to Rutte, modern security challenges require solidarity and equal commitment to financial support mechanisms from the entire European community.
“So that there is more shared burden-sharing, because currently only six or seven allies are doing the bulk of the work,” the NATO Secretary General emphasized.
At the same time, the head of the defense bloc reassured the international community regarding the current status of missile supplies to Ukrainian air defense units.
In his words, “the good news is” that what these 6–7 countries are doing “is enough to ensure that Ukraine will continue to have access to this critically important American equipment.”
EU countries are seeking compensation for weapons transferred to Ukraine
On May 12, EU defense ministers will hold a separate meeting in Brussels dedicated to military support for Ukraine. Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, as well as NATO representatives, will join the discussion online.
