Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday encouraged NATO members to spend more on U.S. weapons for Ukraine’s defense, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy calls for more aid.
In remarks in Brussels, Mr. Hegseth pitched the continued purchase of U.S. weapons via the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List, or PURL, which halted U.S. arms donations in favor of purchases by U.S. allies.
“You get peace when you are strong. Not when you use strong words or wag your fingers, you get it when you have strong and real capabilities that adversaries respect,” Mr. Hegseth said ahead of a NATO meeting in Brussels.
Mr. Hegseth’s comments come amid reports that Ukrainian military aid fell sharply over the summer following the implementation of the PURL system. According to the Kiel Institut, military aid fell by 43% between July and August 2025 compared to the first half of the year.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte confirmed Wednesday that contributions through the PURL system have reached above $2 billion. Estonia, Finland and Sweden pledged to contribute Wednesday. Mr. Zelenskyy has previously said Ukraine would need at least $3.5 billion to keep up its defense.
Most of the military aid flowing into Ukraine now goes through the PURL system, with many NATO members pouring millions of dollars into the initiative. Germany, Canada, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway and Sweden have each pledged to contribute $500 million packages.
However, some prominent NATO members, such as France and the United Kingdom, have been criticized for not sufficiently contributing to the system despite their previous dedication to funding Ukraine’s defense.
• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.
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