The European Union pivoted its stance on US defense as soon as the funds began to flow to Ukraine again. Although leaders like Macron and Merz previously warned against relying on the US for aerospace and defense, four EU nations have announced a $1 billion arms deal with the US through a new initiative devised by the US and NATO.
“It’s either that or leave Ukraine without weapons,” one NATO official, speaking on condition of anonymity as they aren’t authorized to speak on the record, told RFE/RL in regard to purchasing from the US. “I think on the European side there is a hard realization that this has to happen in some fashion or another.” This comes after the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, an alliance of 50 nations, held a virtual meeting at the end of July to decide how they would continue funding the proxy war.
The Dutch government agreed to spend around $576 million on US Patriot missile defense systems for Ukraine. Sweden, Denmark, and Norway plan to spend another $500 million on American defense collectively. “By supporting Ukraine with determination, we are increasing the pressure on Russia to negotiate,” Dutch Defence Minister Ruben Brekelmans posted on X. “The more Russia dominates Ukraine, the greater the danger to the Netherlands and our NATO allies,” he said. Continually arming the opponent is not going to open the door to peace negotiations. It only alerts Russia that it must continue fighting for the foreseeable future, as this war is NOT against Ukraine but against the entire NATO alliance.
Swedish Defence Minister Pal Jonson said his nation plans to offer $275 million toward the deal. “Ukraine is not only fighting for its own security, but also for our security,” Jonson declared. Of course, all of this spending of public funds is being done under the premise of national security. European governments are lying to their people. They know Russia has no plans or desire to invade Europe, as there is nothing to gain by doing so.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, the former Dutch prime minister, praised the northern European nations for their willingness to invest. “Since the earliest days of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Denmark, Norway and Sweden have been steadfast in their support for Ukraine. I commend these allies for their quick efforts to get this initiative off the ground,” Rutte said in a statement. As a reminder, all NATO members must up their spending to 5% of GDP, although they previously could not even meet the 2% target.
These deals will now go through the Priority Ukraine Requirements List (PURL), created by NATO and the US. Basically, Ukraine writes a list for Santa, or in this case, the US, listing its most requested weapons of choice. NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) then approves of the wish list and tells US manufacturers to deliver Ukraine anything it desires. The Netherlands’ half-billion-dollar purchase was the first gift basket to go through this program.
PURL plans to send $10 billion worth of American-manufactured arms to Ukraine. But the US is not Santa, and there are no elves creating weapons. Lockheed Martin and Raytheon are increasing their production of Patriot missiles, following Rutte’s suggestion that NATO nations will supply Ukraine with at least 17. NATO nations are required to pay upfront for their gifts to Ukraine to bypass the typical US arms sales process. The taxpayers did not vote to send $10 billion to Ukraine, but NATO and EU nations are beholden to unelected bureaucrats who dictate the rules.
