NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has urged allies to accelerate military support for Ukraine, warning that delays in delivering weapons and funding are costing lives.
Speaking at the latest Ukraine Defence Contact Group meeting, Rutte said Ukraine’s war against Russia was directly affecting the wider security environment across NATO and called on countries to increase their contributions.
Rutte said: “Ukraine’s fight shapes the entire Euro-Atlantic security environment. It directly impacts, as we all know, our own security, and as we work on modernising the alliance and building a stronger Europe and a stronger NATO, we must continue to support Ukraine’s security and help them defend from Russia’s brutal attacks.”
He added: “That means supporting Ukraine with the utmost urgency. And here, let me say that delays simply cost human lives.”
Rutte said the level of civilian deaths had reached its highest point since May 2022 and told members of the group that more military assistance was required. He said: “Nations must dig deeper. We do not have a choice, I believe.”
The NATO Secretary General identified air defence, drones and extended-range ammunition as priority requirements for Ukrainian forces. Rutte also said allies were seeing changes in the weapons employed by Russia, including greater use of North Korean missiles and jet-powered attack drones.
He stressed the continuing role of the PURL mechanism, under which NATO allies and partners finance the purchase of American weapons for Ukraine. According to Rutte, around $10 billion had been allocated over the previous year through PURL and US foreign military sales for Ukraine, including $3.5 billion originating from the Ukraine support loan.
He described those figures as evidence of European countries taking on a greater share of the effort to sustain Ukraine. Rutte said continued deliveries were particularly important for maintaining Ukrainian air defences and enabling forces to hold positions on the front line.
