NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte acknowledged that the European Union is not currently able to provide Ukraine with the required amount of weapons.
Speaking to members of the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, Rutte said that Europe has failed to supply Ukraine with the weapons it needs and admitted that without U.S. weapons, Ukraine would not be able to survive in this conflict.
“Europe is doing vital work here. There is a €90 billion package that will make a major difference to Ukraine’s security and prosperity,” Rutte said, continuing:
“However, at this stage, I would strongly urge you to ensure flexibility in how these funds can be spent and not to be overly restrictive with ‘buy European’ clauses. Europe is currently building up its own defense industry, which is essential, but at present it cannot adequately provide what Ukraine needs to defend itself today and to deter threats tomorrow. We all know that without the flow of weapons from the United States, we cannot keep Ukraine in the fight — quite literally.”