The Secretary of NATO announces that more than half of the NATO countries are ready to buy American weapons to give to Kiev, but in the summer military support decreased by 57%
At the headquarters of the Born of Evere on the north-eastern outskirts of Brussels, the meeting of the defense ministers of the Atlantic Alliance took place. On the table, as the general secretary explained during the parliamentary assembly on Monday Mark Ruttehow to “further strengthen our defense and deterrence position, also in light of recent incidents”.
Rutte’s words
At the end of the meeting of ministers, Secretary Mark Rutte announced that «thanks to funding from allies, we are providing Ukraine with essential US equipment through the list of priority requirements for Ukraine (Purl)».
The initiative, which sees European NATO countries buy American weapons to turn over to Kiev, provides “the weapons it (the Ukrainian army) really needs to protect its people and maintain the front line”.
“We started with six allies funding the first Purl packages, and today allies have stepped up with new contributions. More than half of NATO allies have now joined, ensuring this crucial flow of support for Ukraine.”
Finally a promise: «Our support for Ukraine is crucial and will continue without stopover».
Hegseth thrashes the Europeans
One of the issues was instead brought to attention by the US Secretary of War Pete Hegsethwho upon his arrival in Brussels declared that Kiev needed “firepower”.
The Secretary of War recalled how the Purl mechanism is «fundamental to achieving peace in Ukraine, it is a rigorous process that has so far proven effective».
Then the jab at European countries: «Allies often say that Ukraine’s security is synonymous with European security. Well, the time has come all NATO countries translate words into concrete actions in the form of investments: all countries sitting at this table, without freeloaders».
All while keeping the objective, namely peace, in sight: «We will end the war in Ukraine. The war must end. As we have seen him do in Gaza and in the Middle East, the president Trump knows how to forge peace and create opportunities in situations and scenarios where peace seems far away.”
However, if peace proves impossible to achieve, Hegseth is clear: “then the United States, together with our allies, will take the necessary measures to impose on Russia the costs of its continued aggression.”
Europe’s support for Kiev has waned
The words of the American Secretary of War do not come without reason. According to the experts of Kiel Institute for the World EconomyIndeed, military aid to Kiev more than halved during the summer of this year.
The drop in aid, 57% compared to the January-May period, is defined as «surprising» in the report of the “Ukraine Aid Tracker”, the most comprehensive database on aid provided to Ukraine.
«Europe is scaling back its overall military support. What will be crucial now is how the numbers evolve in the autumn,” he said Christoph Trebeschhead of the Ukraine Aid Tracker and director of research at the Kiel Institute.
Secretary Rutte took action this morning, stating that “support for Ukraine has not decreased, it is in line with that provided last year”, without however providing exact figures. Without a doubt, the secretary’s hope is that the many countries that have joined the NATO initiative will translate their words into investments.
