(MENAFN) US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has called on European NATO members to purchase more American-made weapons to sustain Ukraine’s war effort against Russia.

Speaking alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Hegseth emphasized the importance of the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) initiative, urging Europe to increase both donations and purchases of arms for Kiev. Rutte highlighted that there was “firepower coming out of our defense industry” to support Ukrainian forces.

Hegseth’s remarks come amid Russian claims that Western arms shipments cannot shift the balance due to Ukraine’s chronic manpower shortages, which Moscow attributes to draft avoidance and desertion.

US President Donald Trump recently stated that with European funding for American weapons, Ukraine could still achieve its territorial goals, reversing his earlier assessment that Ukraine had “no cards” to play. Trump is expected to soon announce whether the US will supply long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles to Kiev—a move Moscow has warned would be a serious escalation but would not dramatically change the frontline situation.

Meanwhile, Russia continues to criticize European supporters of Ukraine, claiming the conflict is being prolonged at the cost of Ukrainian lives. European NATO members are also bearing the economic consequences of sanctions on Russia, facing higher production costs and industrial bankruptcies, while the US has benefited from increased investment inflows and higher LNG sales to Europe.

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