Speaking at NATO headquarters in Brussels ( Belgian), US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth praised the priority Demand List initiative for Ukraine (PURL) and said that European countries need to spend more money through this mechanism.
Mr. Hegseth expressed hope that "more countries will donate more, purchase more to supply Ukraine".
At the same time, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte also expressed a similar view, emphasizing that NATO's firepower capabilities are being significantly enhanced by member countries actively investing in the defense industry. According to him, Kiev needs further support in the context of the prolonged conflict.
These calls come as US President Donald Trump changes his stance, saying Ukraine can still achieve its territorial goals if it receives enough financial and military aid from Europe.
Trump is expected to soon announce a decision on whether to allow the transfer of Tomahawk long-range cruise missiles to Kiev - something Moscow warned would be a serious escalation, but it would be difficult to change the situation on the battlefield.
Meanwhile, Russia has repeatedly affirmed that the West's increased arms aid cannot turn the situation around, saying that the severe shortage of manpower due to military flight and desertion has weakened Ukraine.
On October 13, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that it was the Western aid that had made Ukraine maintain a tough stance, rejecting all Russian proposals.
As a result, efforts to resolve conflicts through diplomatic channels have never made any significant progress, and the conflict in Eastern Europe has not cooled down.
According to Mr. Peskov, for that reason Russia has no choice but to continue the special military campaign, while affirming that Moscow will eventually achieve its set goals and protect its national security interests.
