NATO chief agrees with Trump on US, Europe sharing burden of Ukraine aid more equally

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BRUSSELS, Feb 12 (Reuters) - NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Wednesday he agreed with U.S. President Donald Trump on the need for Washington and European allies to share the burden of military aid for Ukraine more equally.

Trump is pushing Europe to invest more in defence - up to 5% of GDP, though no NATO ally including the U.S. is near that threshold - and take on a bigger responsibility for supporting Kyiv against Russia's almost three-year-old invasion.

NATO members agreed last year to provide Ukraine with 40 billion euros ($41.5 billion) in security assistance within a year but ended up sending over 50 billion euros, with over half coming from European allies and Canada, according to the alliance. The remaining assistance came from the United States.

"This sends a clear signal of our unwavering commitment to Ukraine," Rutte told reporters in Brussels ahead of a gathering of officials dedicated to discussing further aid for Ukraine.

"It also takes a big step in the direction of what President Trump has called for. I agree with him that we must equalise security assistance to Ukraine," he added.

NATO recently said that allies in Europe and Canada had invested $485 billion in defence in 2024, a nearly 20% increase from the previous year.

Many European countries have ramped up defence spending in recent years, spurred by Russia's war in Ukraine and fears the United States may cut its commitments to protect the continent, particularly under Donald Trump, who has been critical of NATO.

European NATO members have been delivering a wide variety of assistance to Ukraine recently, ranging from ammunition to fighter jets. Last week, Kyiv said it had received a first batch of French Mirage 2000 fighter jets as well as U.S.-made F-16 fighters from the Netherlands.

Ukrainian officials have been urging their Western partners to provide more assistance and faster, stressing the need for more sophisticated air defences and ammunition.

($1 = 0.9641 euros)