The Netherlands announced on Monday a €500 million contribution to purchase American-made military equipment for Ukraine, becoming the first NATO member to join a newly established mechanism aimed at supplying Kyiv with urgently needed weapons.
The initiative follows a statement last month by U.S. President Donald Trump, who said the U.S. would provide arms to Ukraine, but funded by European allies—though he offered no specifics at the time.
“As the first NATO ally, the Netherlands will deliver a €500 million package of U.S. weapon systems (including parts and Patriot missiles),” Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, the former Dutch prime minister, welcomed the move and said he has encouraged other alliance members to participate in the new mechanism, officially known as the NATO Ukraine Prioritized Requirements List Initiative (PURL).
“This is about delivering the equipment Ukraine urgently needs to defend itself from Russian aggression,” Rutte said in a statement.
“I have written to all NATO allies urging them to contribute to this burden-sharing initiative, and I expect further major announcements from other allies soon,” he added.
U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker told Reuters on Monday that he expects many more countries to announce their participation in the coming weeks.
“We’re moving as fast as possible,” Whitaker said in an interview at NATO headquarters in Brussels.
Asked about the timeline for delivering U.S. weapons through the new mechanism, he responded: “I think we’ll see very rapid progress, likely in the coming weeks—maybe even sooner.”
“The Dutch are just the first of many. You’ll see a series of announcements in the coming weeks,” he added.
NATO stated that it will coordinate the initiative, which is financed by European alliance members and Canada, with packages expected to be worth approximately $500 million each.
Ukraine warmly welcomed the Dutch decision.
“Ukraine, and therefore all of Europe, will be better protected from Russian terror,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on X.
“I’m sincerely grateful to the Netherlands for its significant contribution to strengthening Ukraine’s air shield,” he added.
