Ukraine continues to receive critical support from the US, including intelligence and weapons supplied in cooperation with European allies. Mark Rutte said this in an interview with CBS, Rubrika reports. PromPolitInform portal reports.
Commenting on the journalist’s remarks that President Donald Trump compared Russia’s support for Iran with the transfer of American intelligence to Ukraine, Rutte emphasized:
“As for Ukraine, the US continues to provide the most important intelligence support and ensure the supply of weapons, working together with the Europeans to help Ukraine in the fight against the Russians, and making sure that they have everything they need.”
Responding to questions about the possible lifting of sanctions on Russian oil and the potential benefits for Russian dictator Putin from the Iran war, the NATO Secretary General noted that such actions are a forced step on the part of the US president.
“This is what the president has to do to balance the different interests,” the NATO chief said. “I know that he and his team, with Jared Kushner, Steve Witkoff and Marco Rubio, are constantly working with the Ukrainians to put maximum pressure on the Russians and force them to come to an agreement.”
Rutte also said that he had a long conversation with President Volodymyr Zelensky in London, which lasted about an hour and a half.
According to him, the Ukrainian side is determined to reach an agreement.
“He wants to make a deal, and we also have to… bring this to the Russians to make sure that they are ready to go along with it,” the secretary general said.
He stressed that it is Donald Trump, acting together with European partners, who is putting pressure on Russia to end the war.
“I’m not going to comment on every element of what’s happening here, but his efforts to successfully end the war in Ukraine are crucial,” Rutte stressed.
According to the NATO Secretary General, Trump “was the only one who was able to break the deadlock with Putin” and consistently took the necessary steps with his team to increase pressure.
“They did what was necessary to put this pressure on the Ukrainians, of course, and they are ready to meet it. They are demonstrating it. They want to end the war,” Rutte summed up.
At the same time, he also previously expressed support for US military actions in Iran and stressed that NATO countries remain united in their positions.
Recall that last year, due to the Pentagon’s decision to suspend the supply of certain types of weapons to Ukraine, Kyiv did not receive, in particular, Patriot interceptors, GMLRS high-precision missiles and other important systems. This was due to concerns in the United States that its weapons stockpiles had become too depleted.
As of March 2026, under the administration of President Donald Trump, the United States resumed arms supplies to Ukraine and intelligence sharing after a temporary pause. A key mechanism was the PURL program, through which arms packages, including air defense and ammunition, are received.
PURL (Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List) is an initiative launched by the United States and NATO to provide Ukraine with critical weapons through financing by Alliance members for the supply of American-made weapons and equipment. The mechanism allows partner countries to finance the purchase of such weapons in accordance with a prioritized list of needs identified by Ukraine and agreed upon with the United States and NATO.
As of December 31, 2025, 24 countries have already joined the initiative since its launch in August.
And on February 3, 2026, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated that he had “absolute certainty” in the stable financing of the PURL initiative, within the framework of which the Alliance’s allies purchase American weapons for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
