- NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said in Berlin on April 15 that allies reaffirmed continued military support for Ukraine through the UDCG framework.
- Rutte said he is optimistic that defense aid funding through the Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List will be secured before the end of 2026.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said Wednesday that allies remain committed to keeping military aid flowing to Ukraine, voicing confidence that additional support can be funded through the Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List, or PURL, before the end of the year.
Speaking after a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group in Berlin on April 15, Rutte said the alliance cannot afford to let Ukraine slip down its list of priorities despite growing security pressures elsewhere.
“We cannot lose focus on Ukraine, even with the many security challenges we face,” he said.
The Berlin meeting, jointly chaired by German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and British Defence Secretary John Healey, brought together key allies to review Ukraine’s battlefield needs and coordinate further assistance. Ukraine’s Minister of Defence, Mykhailo Fedorov, briefed participants on the situation at the front and outlined the country’s most urgent requirements.
Rutte said the discussions resulted in renewed backing from allies, including new contributions from Germany, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands. He also welcomed further support for both the PURL mechanism and the Czech ammunition initiative, which has become a major channel for supplying artillery shells to Ukrainian forces.
“Today we reaffirmed our commitment to Ukraine,” Rutte said.
The Ukraine Defence Contact Group has become the main forum for coordinating military assistance to Kyiv, bringing together allied governments to align weapons deliveries, ammunition supply, training, and financial support. Wednesday’s session in Berlin made clear that this process remains active and politically supported at the highest level.
A central focus of the talks was the PURL system, which is intended to match Ukraine’s most pressing battlefield requirements with allied funding and procurement channels. Rather than relying only on separate national pledges, the mechanism allows Kyiv’s needs to be formally listed and prioritized so partner countries can direct support where it is most urgently required.
That can include artillery ammunition, air defense missiles, communications equipment, mobility assets, and other supplies needed to sustain combat operations.
Rutte sounded cautiously positive when asked about whether the alliance could fully fund those needs this year.
“I’m optimistic,” he told reporters after the meeting, while acknowledging that the burden is still not evenly shared across the alliance.
“A limited number of countries are doing the heavy lifting — but we are seeing change for the better.”
His remarks highlighted a long-running issue inside NATO: while several countries have carried much of the military aid effort, alliance leaders continue to press other members to increase their contributions. Germany, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands remain among the most active European supporters in this area.
Rutte also stressed that there remains broad consensus among allies on the need to continue supporting Kyiv.
“We have to make sure Ukraine has what it needs to stay in the fight. So there is broad agreement on that on both sides of the Atlantic.”
That message comes as Ukraine continues to rely heavily on outside military support to sustain operations at the front and defend against ongoing Russian missile and drone attacks. Ammunition, air defense interceptors, repair parts, and other equipment remain central to Kyiv’s ability to continue fighting.