NATO Prepares Billions in Aid for Ukraine After Trump-Rutte Talks

Image credits: Alex Brandon/Associated Press

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte spoke with US President Donald Trump, discussing the critical need for a settlement on Ukraine to be enduring, and recognizing the valiant Ukrainian defense since the full-scale invasion in 2022. The Secretary General and the President agreed on the importance of Europe and Canada significantly increasing defence spending and defence industrial capacity, which will feature prominently at the NATO Summit in the Hague in June. Rutte announced that NATO will invest more in defense and is preparing "billions" in aid for Ukraine, according to his post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The news comes amid reports of Kyiv's Western and Asian allies preparing their own aid packages totaling hundreds of millions of dollars. Finland announced that it will provide Ukraine with $691 million worth of domestically produced military equipment, while Poland is preparing a $207 million aid package. Spain also provided aid to Ukraine outside of its defense spending commitments to NATO, with a new military aid package worth $1.05 billion. Japan, a partner of NATO, committed to giving a grant of 8 billion yen ($58 million) of aid to its eastern European ally as part of a four-phase emergency recovery program.

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth previously called for NATO to increase its defense spending, writing on X: "I spoke with @SecGenNATO to discuss how we can work together to build a stronger, more lethal and more sustainable NATO Alliance. We both agreed that increasing Allied defense spending and expanding industrial base capacity are central to this shared goal." Oxana Shevel, a professor at Tufts University, wrote on X: "US can't be relied on, nor consequently NATO umbrella. Face new reality, increase defense spending, treat [Russia] as aggressor that it is."

NATO member states have been energized to increase spending by Trump's comments, though the timescale of these contribution boosts and what impact they will have on the U.S.' participation in the alliance remain unclear. The additional aid packages are part of a larger effort to support Ukraine in its conflict with Russia, with NATO allies preparing billions more in aid and contributions to security guarantees. The EU's top diplomat said that NATO offered the best security guarantee for Ukraine, accusing President Donald Trump of falling for a Russian narrative by closing the door.

The situation in Ukraine remains complex, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arriving in the United States on Thursday ahead of talks with US President Donald Trump on an agreement to develop minerals and rare earths. US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that his attempts to arrange a cessation in violence between Russia and Ukraine are moving along rapidly and he was hopeful for progress. The EU chiefs Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa will attend a Sunday meeting in London on the Ukraine conflict and European security, along with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other European leaders.