NATO to establish new fund for Ukraine arms purchases under Trump’s push

Ukraine’s allies are set to establish a new NATO-managed holding account to facilitate the purchase of US-made weapons for Kyiv, marking the first concrete step in implementing President Donald Trump’s pledge to shift the financial burden of arming Ukraine to other members of the alliance.

The fund, which will allow NATO countries to collectively buy billions of dollars' worth of weapons from American manufacturers, reflects a significant policy shift from the current US approach of donating arms from its own military stockpiles. Three Western officials confirmed the move to The Wall Street Journal, which follows an announcement by Trump and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte in July, Caliber.Az reports. 

“We’ve made a deal today where we are going to be sending them weapons and they’re going to be paying for them,” Trump said while seated alongside Rutte in the Oval Office. “We’re not buying it, but we will manufacture it, and they’re going to be paying for it.”

The new system aims to align with Trump’s broader goal of pushing NATO allies to contribute more directly to Ukraine’s defense. According to a senior NATO military official, the ultimate objective is to pressure Russia into negotiations and bring the war to an end.

NATO members will voluntarily contribute funds to the new account, which will be overseen by Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, the Supreme Allied Commander for Europe. Grynkewich will be responsible for evaluating Ukraine’s battlefield needs and ensuring any deliveries are balanced against US military requirements.

Initial spending through the fund is expected to total $10 billion, largely directed toward the US defence industry, one official said.

The new mechanism coincides with the remaining $3.85 billion in presidential drawdown authority carried over from the Biden administration, which still allows for weapons to be sent to Ukraine directly from US inventories. Meanwhile, Republican leaders in the Senate are backing legislation that would permit the Pentagon to be reimbursed by European governments for arms supplied to Ukraine.

Weapons shipments previously authorised by President Joe Biden are continuing to reach Ukraine through Poland. Some deliveries, including Patriot missile interceptors, were paused in June for a Pentagon assessment of US munitions reserves but have since resumed.

In a related deal, the US has reached an agreement with Germany for the transfer of additional Patriot air-defense systems to Ukraine. Berlin confirmed Friday that the first two of these systems will arrive in Kyiv within days. As part of the arrangement, Germany will receive new Patriot systems from US production lines ahead of schedule.

To make that possible, the Pentagon moved Germany ahead of Switzerland in the delivery queue, according to a prior Wall Street Journal report. A senior US official said future Patriot deliveries may also be restructured as other countries agree to send systems from their own arsenals to support Ukraine.

By Sabina Mammadli