Netherlands to buy €500 million of US arms for Ukraine war under new Nato scheme
The Netherlands will contribute €500mn (£434mn) to purchase US military equipment for Ukraine, becoming the first Nato member to support a new mechanism aimed at supplying American weapons to Kyiv.
Donald Trump said last month that the US would provide weapons to Ukraine, paid for by European allies, but he did not provide details on how this would work.
Dutch Defence Minister Ruben Brekelmans announced on Monday that the Netherlands will contribute €500mn to the mechanism called the Nato Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) initiative.
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Mr Brekelmans said this would include Patriot systems and missiles – a mobile surface-to-air missile defence system built by US-based Raytheon Technologies.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has persistently asked Western allies for more defensive capabilities, among them Patriot systems and missiles, to fend off daily missile and drone attacks from Russia.
In response to the decision, Mr Zelensky thanked the Netherlands. “Ukraine, and thus the whole of Europe, will be better protected from Russian terror,” he wrote on X.
“I am sincerely grateful to the Netherlands for their substantial contribution to strengthening Ukraine’s air shield,” he added.
Nato chief Mark Rutte, a former Dutch prime minister, welcomed the announcement and said he had encouraged other alliance members to participate in the new mechanism.
“This is about getting Ukraine the equipment it urgently needs now to defend itself against Russian aggression,” he 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,” Mr Rutte added.
Nato said it would coordinate the new initiative, which is funded by European members of the alliance and Canada. It will be divided into packages worth approximately $500mn (£434mn), the military alliance said.
It said in a statement: “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 US stockpiles”.
Matthew Whitaker, the US ambassador to Nato, told news agency Reuters that he expected many more countries to announce they will participate over the coming weeks.
The Patriot, short for Phased Array Tracking Radar for Intercept on Target, is a mobile surface-to-air missile defence system developed by Raytheon Technologies.
It is considered one of the most advanced air defence systems in the US arsenal, and it has been in service since the 1980s.
The system can intercept aircraft, tactical ballistic missiles and cruise missiles, depending on the interceptor used.
A newly produced single Patriot battery costs over $1bn (£746m), including $400m (£298m) for the system and $690m (£515m) for the missiles in a battery, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
Patriot interceptors are estimated to cost around $4 million per missile, CSIS says.
Russia says it sees the supply of Patriots as a direct escalation. Foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said earlier this year that supplying more systems to Ukraine would delay the chances of peace.
