NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte reaffirmed the Alliance’s long-term commitment to Ukraine during a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group (UDCG) in Brussels on Wednesday.

Addressing defence ministers and senior officials from across the coalition, Rutte said that the group remains “the backbone of our collective support for Ukraine,” highlighting its role in ensuring the continued flow of weapons and equipment to Ukrainian forces.

He thanked UK Defence Secretary John Healey, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius and US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth for their leadership, noting that NATO will “assist across the board, from hosting meetings such as this one to providing the best data and analysis available.”

The Secretary General confirmed that NATO staff will directly support the UDCG’s work, coordinating with the UK, Germany and Ukraine to make the group more effective at delivering battlefield capabilities. He also referred to the Partnered Ukraine Resupply Line (PURL) mechanism, which he described as “the mechanism that supplies US weapons, both lethal and non-lethal, to Ukraine, paid for by NATO Allies.” Rutte expressed hope that additional contributions to the fund would be announced following the day’s Defence Ministers’ session.

Rutte also credited US leadership for maintaining the momentum of Allied support.

“President Trump has been clear from day one that he wants to end this war,” he said, adding that recent diplomatic progress in Gaza showed “what can be achieved with coordinated leadership.” He thanked Hegseth for ensuring the delivery of US-made systems to Ukraine, which he said would “enable Ukraine to protect its people and hold the front line.”

The Secretary General closed by reiterating that the outcome of the war would affect all Allies. “This is in our collective interest,” he said. “The outcome of this war will impact us all, directly or indirectly. So please do all that you can. Slava Ukraini.”

George Allison
George Allison is the founder and editor of the UK Defence Journal. He holds a degree in Cyber Security from Glasgow Caledonian University and specialises in naval and cyber security topics. George has appeared on national radio and television to provide commentary on defence and security issues. Twitter: @geoallison

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