NATO chief announces continued support for Ukraine after phone call with Trump

After a phone call with US President Donald Trump, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced that Ukraine’s allies are preparing billions of dollars more in aid for the country. 

"Great to talk with Donald Trump. The US & NATO are getting stronger. NATO Allies are moving quickly to invest more in defence. Big increases announced & others to follow. On Ukraine, Allies are preparing billions more in aid + contributions to security guarantees," Rutte shared on social media, per Caliber.Az.

Great to talk with @realDonaldTrump
US & NATO are getting stronger. NATO Allies are moving quickly to invest more in defence. Big increases announced & others to follow.
On Ukraine, Allies are preparing billions more in aid + contributions to security guarantees. pic.twitter.com/d4zxbkGhsD

— Mark Rutte (@SecGenNATO) February 27, 2025

His statement comes amid growing calls for additional assistance and coordination between NATO allies regarding the Ukrainian conflict.

Previously, Rutte had urged European nations to “stop whining” and work to secure a place at the negotiating table for resolving the Ukrainian crisis. While he acknowledged the positive role of US peace initiatives, he also expressed frustration, admitting that he was "somewhat angry" that Washington had started peace negotiations without consulting NATO first.

On February 14, President Trump aligned with Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth’s view that Ukraine’s NATO membership and the restoration of the 2014 borders were not viable outcomes. Trump emphasized that he did not believe it was possible for a country like Russia to allow Ukraine to join NATO.

On February 20, during his visit to Slovakia, Rutte indicated that discussions about Ukraine’s NATO membership could be considered in the future, though it would not be part of the current peace agreement terms. Just days later, on February 26, Trump advised Ukraine to “forget” about NATO membership altogether.

Despite these political tensions, the US has yet to announce any new military aid packages for Ukraine under Trump’s administration. Trump clarified that the US was not providing any defence assistance to Ukraine at this time but stated that he would not prevent other countries from purchasing US weapons for Kyiv.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy admitted that a withdrawal of US support would significantly complicate the situation in the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian conflict. Meanwhile, on February 24, European Union foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, confirmed the sending of a new military aid package to Ukraine worth up to €20 billion. However, as reported by Politico on February 25, several EU countries, including Italy, Portugal, and Spain, expressed opposition to sending this aid package to Kyiv.

By Tamilla Hasanova