NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said Wednesday that the Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List, a U.S.-NATO mechanism launched in early August, has already delivered $2 billion in urgently needed military aid to Kyiv. Additional packages are being prepared, he noted following talks with Estonian President Alar Karis in Brussels.
Rutte praised Estonia’s support for Ukraine, including its pledge to dedicate at least 0.25 percent of annual GDP to military assistance. He also highlighted Tallinn’s wider NATO contributions, such as hosting the U.K.-led Forward Land Forces in Tapa and supporting the alliance’s Baltic Air Policing mission at Ämari Air Base.
On defense spending, Rutte pointed to Estonia as a model among allies working toward the NATO summit goal of investing 5 percent of GDP in defense by 2035. “You are already close to this benchmark and plan to go even further in the coming years,” he said.
The NATO chief underscored that Russia “remains the most significant and direct threat to Euro-Atlantic security,” urging allies to remain vigilant, expand defense industrial production on both sides of the Atlantic and continue backing Ukraine.
Estonia’s own plans include more than $11.4 billion in defense investments through 2029, with a focus on modern capabilities such as unmanned systems.
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