NATO pledges nearly $43.5B in military aid for Ukraine: Mark Rutte

NATO's new chief on Wednesday announced a $40 billion military aid package for Ukraine, reaffirming the alliance's long-term commitment to bolstering Ukraine's defense against Russia's war.

Addressing NATO defense ministers, Secretary-General Mark Rutte stressed the urgent need to enhance defense industrial capacity and resilience across all domains.

He highlighted that while NATO has made significant progress in munitions production and the manufacturing of military equipment, the current output still falls short.

"We must scale up together to produce more and at lower costs," said Rutte, who took office earlier this month.

"We are working with urgency to deliver a financial pledge of at least €40 billion (nearly $43.5 billion) of military aid within a year to support Ukraine," he stressed, adding: "I can announce today that NATO allies committed €20.9 billion ($22.72 billion) in military assistance to Ukraine."

In addition to Ukraine, Rutte raised concerns over rising tensions in the Western Balkans, particularly in Kosovo.

"The situation in the Western Balkans remains concerning, with secessionist threats in Bosnia and Herzegovina," he warned, citing a "fragile security situation in Kosovo and little progress made in the EU-facilitated Belgrade-Pristina dialogue" between Serbia and its neighbor Kosovo, whose sovereignty it does not recognize.

"Russia is also seeking to undermine democracies in the region with cyber and hybrid threats, including disinformation, disinformation using internal vulnerabilities to sow divisions," he said.

Shifting to global alliances, Rutte cautioned against the growing alignment between authoritarian states such as Russia and China.

He stressed that this collaboration threatens stability across both the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions: "In this more interconnected world, it is vital that we tackle our shared security challenges together."

He concluded by reaffirming NATO's dedication to addressing shared security challenges with allied nations through increased cooperation in defense innovation and industrial production.