Rutte Says NATO Doesn’t Need a ‘Plan B’ as Allies Boost Billions for Ukraine Arms

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte insisted on Wednesday that the alliance has no reason to contemplate a “Plan B” in the event that talks collapse and Washington halts weapons deliveries to Ukraine.

“I don’t think we have to think about that,” he replied when pressed by a reporter during a Brussels news conference following a gathering of NATO foreign ministers convened after pivotal US-Russia discussions.

Rutte underscored that the US remains “very consistent” in backing Kyiv, while stressing: “We expect Europeans and Canadians to step up when it comes to paying for it.”

He also voiced confidence that Ukraine’s partners will have amassed $5 billion in commitments by the year’s end for the purchase of US-manufactured arms – funding intended to keep matériel flowing to Kyiv despite Washington’s freeze on direct military aid.

According to Rutte, allies have now unlocked billions for American weapons through the Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL), a mechanism under which NATO organizes procurement from US inventories to meet Ukraine’s most urgent battlefield needs.

Launched in July after the Trump administration signaled steep cuts to its own lethal and non-lethal assistance, the programme has already drawn contributions from more than 20 member states.

Five allies unveiled additional pledges this week: Canada ($200 million) and the Netherlands ($290 million), alongside Norway, Poland and Germany, which together offered $500 million.

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Rutte added that non-NATO partners, including Austria and New Zealand, have indicated willingness to join the effort. This newest cascade of commitments, he said, is “getting us on the track to the $5 billion for the full year.”

He noted that participation is widening and that, five months on, “only a handful of nations” remain outside PURL – among them Italy and France, the latter opting instead to provide European-built equipment.

Rutte also commended US President Donald Trump for attempting to broker a path to peace in Ukraine, calling him “the only one person in the whole world who was able to break the deadlock when it comes [to the war].”

He cautioned that NATO must maintain “unwavering vigilance” toward Russia and argued that allies should “do more” to shoulder the collective burden – hence discussions on lifting defense expenditure to 5% of GDP.

This is also necessary because Russia is spending 40% of its state budget on defense, he said.

In response to hawkish comments from Russian Vladimir Putin on Tuesday that Russia would be “ready” for war with Europe, even if it would not seek it out, Rutte said: “NATO is a defensive alliance. We will remain a defensive alliance, but make no mistake, we are ready and willing to do what it takes to protect our one billion people and secure our territory.”

“Putin believes he can outlast us, but we are not going anywhere,” Rutte asserted.