Europe will finance US weapons for Ukraine, says Rutte

DAVOS (Reuters) – NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte on Thursday called on the United States to continue supplying weapons to Ukraine and said Europe was ready to foot the bill.

Mark Rutte, speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, said the Alliance must invest more in defense, increase production and take on a greater share of aid spending. Ukraine in its war against Russia.

“As far as Ukraine is concerned, we need the United States to also remain involved,” defended Mark Rutte.

“If the new Trump administration wants to continue supplying Ukraine from its defense industrial base, the bill will be paid by the Europeans, I am absolutely convinced, we must be ready to do that,” he said. he added.

The secretary general’s comments come after the new US president said earlier this week that his administration was examining the issue of sending weapons to Ukraine, adding that he believed the EU should do more to support Kyiv .

The American president, inaugurated Monday for a second term in the White House, has affirmed in the past that he would quickly end the war in Ukraine, without specifying how.

Donald Trump has often estimated that Washington spends more than the other members of the alliance, who should increase their defense budget.

“We really need to step up and not reduce our support for Ukraine,” insisted the NATO chief.

“The front line is moving in the wrong direction,” he added.

(Reporting Sudip Kar-Gupta and Lili Bayer; French version Diana Mandia, editing by Kate Entringer)