NATO chief urges US to keep arming Ukraine, pledges European funding
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte called on the United States to continue supplying weapons to Ukraine, pledging that Europe will shoulder the financial burden, Reuters reported on Jan. 23.
"If this new Trump administration is willing to keep on supplying Ukraine, the bill will be paid by the Europeans," Rutte said at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Rutte's remarks come amid the uncertainty of the U.S. support for Ukraine under President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly criticized aid to Kyiv, as well as called on Europe to increase its share.
Trump has repeatedly lambasted European NATO members for not investing enough in their defense capabilities and instead relying on the U.S.
Rutte agreed with Trump's criticism of Europe's low defense spending, saying that "Ukraine is closer to Europe than to the U.S."
Earlier on Jan. 22, President Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized the importance of U.S. leadership in ending Russia's war during an interview with Bloomberg.
"The end of the war must be a victory for U.S. President Donald Trump, not for Russian President Vladimir Putin," Zelensky said.
During his presidential campaign, Trump has repeatedly called for a swift resolution to Russia's war and claimed he would be able to end it quickly. However, he hasn't elaborated on how he plans to achieve that.
On Jan. 22, Trump threatened to impose harsher sanctions on Moscow if a "deal" is not reached soon.
Kateryna Hodunova
