Trump, Rutte announce 'really big' NATO arms package amid new 50 day deadline to Putin
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said Trump called him on Thursday to confirm he wanted to enter into a deal with NATO allies to sell them arms for aid to Ukraine.
Trump said billions of dollars worth of U.S. arms would be purchased from allies like Germany, Finland and Denmark that will be "quickly distributed" to Ukraine.
"This is really big," Rutte told reporters from the Oval Office sitting alongside Trump.
Rutte, who said the decision was built on the "tremendous success" of last month's NATO summit when nearly every nation in the alliance agreed to increase their defense spending to reach 5% of their nation's GDP, called the move "logical."
"This is again European nations standing up," Rutte added. "I've been in contact with many countries, I can tell you at this moment Germany, massively, but also Finland and Denmark and Sweden and Norway, we have the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Canada – they all want to be part of this.
"And this is only the first wave. There will be more," Rutte confirmed. "So what we will do is work through the NATO systems to make sure that we know what Ukrainians need."
Rutte said he had already met with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to ensure the U.S. maintains what it needs for its stockpiles but also works with NATO allies to fulfill orders for Ukraine's defense.
Trump said he was "very unhappy" with Moscow and expressed his frustration over what he thought should have been a done deal at least "two months ago."
Both leaders said they thought they had secured an agreement with Putin on four different occasions, but then "bombs would be thrown out that night, and you'd say – we're not making any deals," Trump told reporters.
"I speak to him a lot about getting this thing done, and I always hang up saying, 'Well, that was a nice phone call,' and then missiles are launched into Kyiv or some other city, and I'd say 'strange," Trump said recounting his conversations with Putin. "And after that happens three or four times, you say, the talk doesn't mean anything."
The president countered a major talking point of some isolationist Republicans who oppose the continuation of U.S. support to Ukraine.
"Ultimately, having a strong Europe is a very good thing," Trump added.
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