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Sweden, Norway and Denmark will contribute around €500mn (£434mn) to purchase US military equipment for Ukraine, joining the Netherlands in supporting a new Nato mechanism aimed at supplying American weapons to Kyiv.
Donald Trump said last month that the US would provide weapons to Ukraine, paid for by European allies, but he did not provide details on how this would work.
Dutch Defence Minister Ruben Brekelmans announced on Monday that the Netherlands will contribute €500mn to the mechanism called the Nato Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) initiative.
On Tuesday, Norwegian Defence Minister Tore O. Sandvik said the country will contribute around 1.5 billion Norwegian crowns (£109mn).
Danish Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen announced that it will earmark around $90 million, and would be willing to consider additional funding at a later stage.
Sweden said it was contributing $275 million to the package, which includes Patriot missiles and other air defence equipment, as well as anti-tank munitions.
Click here for the latest on the Ukraine war.
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The Patriot is a mobile surface-to-air missile defence system (via REUTERS)
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has persistently asked Western allies for more defensive capabilities, among them Patriot systems and missiles, to fend off daily missile and drone attacks from Russia.
Responding to the move, Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte said the alliance was grateful to the three Nordic countries for their fast action to fund the package.
Mr Zelensky also thanked the countries and said the measure created a new foundation for long-term security across Europe.
“This will be felt. And it will serve as a strong example for other NATO countries to strengthen the security ties between America and Europe and to ensure protection from Russian strikes,” he wrote on X.
“Russia will never turn Europe into a continent of war, and it is precisely through our joint efforts that we are ensuring peace will prevail,” the Ukrainian president added.
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Nato chief Mark Rutte, a former Dutch prime minister, welcomed the announcement (REUTERS)
Nato said it would coordinate the new initiative, which is funded by European members of the alliance and Canada. It will be divided into packages worth approximately $500mn (£434mn), the military alliance said.
It said in a statement: “Working closely with Ukraine and the United States, the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, Alexus Grynkewich, will validate packages that correspond to Ukraine’s needs, such as air defence, ammunition and other critical equipment for rapid delivery from US stockpiles”.
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Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the announcement (Ukrainian Presidential Press Service)
The Patriot, short for Phased Array Tracking Radar for Intercept on Target, is a mobile surface-to-air missile defence system developed by Raytheon Technologies.
It is considered one of the most advanced air defence systems in the US arsenal, and it has been in service since the 1980s.
The system can intercept aircraft, tactical ballistic missiles and cruise missiles, depending on the interceptor used.
A newly produced single Patriot battery costs over $1bn (£746m), including $400m (£298m) for the system and $690m (£515m) for the missiles in a battery, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
Patriot interceptors are estimated to cost around $4 million per missile, CSIS says.
Russia says it sees the supply of Patriots as a direct escalation. Foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said earlier this year that supplying more systems to Ukraine would delay the chances of peace.