Netherlands uses new NATO channel to pay for US arms for Ukraine

AMSTERDAM/BRUSSELS (Reuters) -The Netherlands said on Monday it will contribute 500 million euros ($578 million) to purchase U.S. military equipment for Ukraine, becoming the first NATO country to contribute to a new mechanism to supply Kyiv with American weapons.

President Donald Trump said last month the U.S. would provide weapons to Ukraine, paid for by European allies, but he did not provide details on how this would work.

"As the first NATO ally, the Netherlands will deliver a €500 million package of US weapon systems (including Patriot parts and missiles)," Dutch Defence Minister Ruben Brekelmans said in a post on X.

NATO chief Mark Rutte, a former Dutch prime minister, welcomed the announcement and said he has encouraged other alliance members to participate in the new mechanism, called the NATO Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) initiative.

“This is about getting Ukraine the equipment it urgently needs now to defend itself against Russian aggression,” Rutte said in a statement.

“I have written to all NATO Allies, urging them to contribute towards this burden sharing initiative, and I expect further significant announcements from other Allies soon,” he added.

The U.S. ambassador to NATO, Matthew Whitaker, told Reuters on Monday that he expected many more countries to announce over the coming weeks that they will participate.

“We're moving as fast as possible,” Whitaker said in an interview at NATO headquarters in Brussels.

Asked about a timeline for getting U.S. deliveries to Ukraine under the new mechanism, he said, “I think we'll see it moving very quickly, certainly in the coming weeks, but some even sooner than that.

“The Dutch are just the first of many. You're going to see a series of announcements in the coming weeks,” he added.

NATO said it would coordinate the new initiative, which is funded by European members of the alliance and Canada and will be divided into packages worth approximately $500 million.

In a statement, the alliance said, "Working closely with Ukraine and the United States, the Supreme Allied Commander Europe Alexus Grynkewich will validate packages that correspond to Ukraine’s needs, such as air defence, ammunition and other critical equipment for rapid delivery from U.S. stockpiles".

Kyiv welcomed the Dutch decision.

"Ukraine, and thus the whole of Europe, will be better protected from Russian terror," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy wrote on X.

"I am sincerely grateful to the Netherlands for their substantial contribution to strengthening Ukraine's air shield," he added.

($1 = 0.8649 euros)

(Reporting by Lili Bayer in Brussels, Anthony Deutsch in Amsterdam, and Phillip Stewart and Mike Stone in Washington; Editing by GV De Clercq and Leslie Adler)