BRUSSELS, Belgium — NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte highlighted the “window of opportunity” for Ukraine and urged members to continue to increase their defense contributions for the besieged country.NATO defense ministers met in Brussels on Thursday at the alliance’s headquarters, which was followed by a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group. The UDGC announced a $1 billion weapons package for Ukraine that they will pay the United States for through the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List, or PURL, initiative.“First of all, the window of opportunity — I think this is the main topic today,” Rutte said at a joint press conference after the meeting, adding that “more support focused on Ukraine’s priorities will help increase the pressure on Russia, and it will help for them to come hopefully to the table and finally now play ball in some meaningful negotiations.”

The defense ministers met for the UDGC meeting and were joined by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Ukrainian Defense Minister ‌Mykhailo ‌Fedorov. U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth was absent from the meeting, having left to return to the U.S. after the NATO defense ministers meeting but before the UDGC gathering, though Undersecretary of War for Policy Elbridge Colby joined virtually.Norway, the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Luxembourg, Lithuania, Latvia, Denmark, Croatia, Sweden, and Iceland have all agreed to purchase American weapons for Ukraine through the PURL initiative, Rutte said, which was created by the Trump administration as a way to continue supporting Ukraine without the U.S. having to pay for it.Fedorov said during the press conference the ​total ⁠value of aid packages announced on Thursday was about $1 billion, but ⁠could ​exceed $4 billion.U.K. Defense Secretary Dan Jarvis announced a roughly $990 million military aid package for Ukraine as well, which will include 150,000 drones, more than 350 air defense missiles, and radar systems, which will be funded through seized Russian assets. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius also announced that Germany will contribute $400 million for the purchase of air defense ammunition and said Germany and Ukraine agreed to a deal for the joint development of anti-ballistic capabilities and the joint production of unmanned ground vehicles in Germany, which will then go to Ukraine.Jarvis and Pistorius lead the UDCG, though its first head was U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. Hegseth did not continue in the role.Ukraine has had recent successes on the battlefield by using drones to carry out attacks deep within Russian territory, and also in the intermediate areas beyond the front lines targeting Russian forces’ supply lines and resources.War Secretary Pete Hegseth, left, walks by NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte during a meeting of the North Atlantic Council in defense ministers format at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Thursday, June 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)