Netherlands, Denmark look to join Trump’s Ukraine arms plan
One of the major questions hanging over the new plan is how fast it can get desperately needed weaponry to Ukraine as it faces nightly Russian bombardments.
Denmark and the Netherlands on Tuesday said they were looking to participate in US President Donald Trump's plan for Europe to buy American weapons for Ukraine.
Trump on Monday announced a tougher line on Moscow over its war in Ukraine, as he gave the Kremlin 50 days to end the fighting or face massive new economic sanctions.
Together with NATO chief Mark Rutte, he also unveiled a deal under which European members of the military alliance would buy billions of dollars of arms from the United States – including Patriot anti-missile batteries – and send them to Kyiv.
Germany has already said it is going to play a leading role in the scheme and has offered to buy two Patriot systems.
"It's clear and that's a plea to all the other European NATO members, all of them have to open their wallets. It's about quickly getting the amount together that is needed in particular for air defence, because Ukraine is massively under pressure here because Putin amps up attacks as soon as peace is remotely being discussed," German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said on Monday.
The exact payment and list of equipment to be purchased will be determined by working groups in the next few weeks, but is also confidential, he added.
Denmark's Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said that his country was "absolutely ready" to join the scheme.
His Dutch counterpart Caspar Veldkamp said the Netherlands was looking into participating in the scheme "with a positive inclination".
"We will look into what we can do in relation to Mr Trump's announcements and take it from there," he said.
One of the major questions hanging over the new plan is how fast it can get desperately needed weaponry to Ukraine as it faces nightly Russian bombardments.
Rutte said that the scheme could allow European countries to send weaponry to Ukraine from their stocks that would be then replaced by new US arms.
But few countries possess systems like Patriots, and those that do have frequently argued that they cannot spare more.
He said that beyond Germany, Denmark, and the Netherlands, other NATO allies Canada, Norway, Sweden, and Britain were among the potential buyers.
Trump promises US arms to Europe to replace Ukraine deliveries
European countries will donate US-made weapons to Ukraine and get them backfilled by Washington, under a new plan backed by NATO.
The apparent pivot from the US leader away from an attempted rapprochement with Russia's Vladimir Putin will please Washington's European allies.
"After yesterday's announcements, it's clear that leadership is once again coming from the US," said Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys.
European countries admit that helping Ukraine keep up its fight against Russia's invasion would be very difficult without access to US weaponry.