U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Wednesday called on NATO allies to step up spending on U.S. weapons for Ukraine, following reports of a steep decline in military aid over the summer. Speaking ahead of a NATO defense ministers’ meeting in Brussels, Hegseth stressed that real strength—not rhetoric—was essential for peace. “You get peace when you are strong… when you have real capabilities that adversaries respect,” he said.
Hegseth urged member nations to increase investments in the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) program, which now requires allies to pay for U.S. weapons deliveries rather than rely on American donations. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte confirmed that $2 billion had already been pledged through the mechanism but acknowledged that the figure remains below the $3.5 billion target set by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
While Sweden, Estonia, and Finland announced new contributions, several major NATO members—including Spain, Italy, France, and Britain—faced criticism for withholding additional support. The Kiel Institute for the World Economy reported that overall military aid to Ukraine dropped 43% in July and August, highlighting Kyiv’s continued dependence on U.S. weapon supplies as it prepares for another challenging winter against Russia.
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