(MENAFN) European NATO nations are being encouraged to increase their acquisition of American-made arms to support Ukraine’s ongoing conflict with Russia, US War Secretary Pete Hegseth stated on Wednesday ahead of a gathering of the alliance’s defense ministers.

Despite repeated claims from Moscow that Western weapons shipments cannot shift the battlefield’s balance, citing Ukraine’s persistent manpower crisis caused by widespread draft evasion and desertion, Hegseth maintained the importance of continued support.

Speaking alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Hegseth commended the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) initiative and emphasized that European members should allocate more resources through this program.

“Our expectation today is that more countries donate even more, that they purchase even more to provide for Ukraine,” Hegseth declared.

Rutte added that there was “firepower coming out of our defense industry” to reinforce Ukrainian troops.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump recently suggested that with European financing for American weaponry, Ukraine could still accomplish its territorial ambitions—an about-face from his earlier statement that Ukraine had “no cards” left to play.

Trump is anticipated to soon reveal whether the US will approve shipments of long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles to Kyiv, a decision Moscow has warned would constitute a serious escalation, though it would not dramatically change the frontline dynamics.

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