Brussels: Several European countries said Tuesday they are willing to buy our weapons for Ukraine under a plan announced by US President Donald Trump, but arrangements still need to be resolved.
Trump said Monday that Washington will supply patriot air defense systems, missiles and other weapons to Ukraine for the war against Russian invasion, and that weapons will be paid by other NATO countries.
But a lot of things remain private, including the amounts offered and the exact kind of weapons, how quickly they are fed, how they are paid.
US authorities suggest that European countries are willing to give up some of their weapons inventory for Ukraine and then buy replacements from the US. However, some of the countries involved say they don't even know what they are being asked for.
Such a move will acquire weapons for Ukraine more quickly, but will allow donor state defenses to be more exposed until the new system is ready.
“We are ready to participate. Of course we cannot do it ourselves. We need other people to partner, but we are ready.
Working with Trump at the White House on Monday, NATO Chief Mark Latte said Germany, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norwen, the UK, the Netherlands and Canada want to be part of the new initiative.
Many of these countries are one of the largest military aid donors to Ukraine, either overall or per capita.
Asked if Denmark could give weapons from its own stock as part of the scheme, Rasmussen said, “We don't have this kind of system-patriot system, so if we are leaning, if we are absolutely ready, it's () money and we need to explain the details.”
The European minister said it would need to look into how new purchases of US arms will be paid. Often, it appears likely involves countries teaming up to buy US weapons systems.
“Now we need to come together and, among other things, raise funds for the patriots they plan to send to Ukraine,” Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmar Stenegaard told Swedish radio.
In Brussels, Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp said his country is considering plans “with a positive trend.”
When asked about the plan, Norwegian Defense Minister told Reuters that Oslo is “in close dialogue with Ukraine.”
“Norway has contributed to a significant amount of air defense in Ukraine, including jointly raising the Patriot System and missile contributions,” he said.
The Finnish Ministry of Defense said that Helsinki “continue to provide material support to Ukraine.”
“The details of the US initiatives are not yet known, so I'm interested to hear more about them before we take a more specific line on this issue.”
