Europe to finance purchase of US weapons for Ukraine - NATO chief
Photo: Mark Rutte (Getty Images)
The United States should continue to supply weapons to Ukraine. Europe will pay the bills, according to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
The NATO Secretary General said in Davos that the alliance should invest more in defense, increase defense production, and assume a larger share of the costs of helping Ukraine.
“On Ukraine, we need U.S. also to stay involved. If this new Trump administration is willing to keep on supplying Ukraine from its defense industrial base, the bill will be paid by the Europeans, I'm absolutely convinced of this, we have to be willing to do that,” he added.
The Secretary General's comments come after US President Donald Trump said earlier this week that the European Union should do more to support Ukraine.
In Davos, Rutte also said that Russia mustn't win, as this could lead to Russian President Vladimir Putin emboldening the leaders of North Korea and China.
“We really have to step up and not scale back our support for Ukraine. The frontline is moving in the wrong direction,” he said.
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas denied Trump's statement that Europe is not doing enough to help Ukraine. According to her, EU aid has reached 134 billion euros, making the continent the largest international donor.
